Equinox
by Maddie Rose
Summary: Rose Finley is best friends with the Pevensies...but things change when five go into Narnia instead of four, and Peter finds himself falling for the girl that Edmund's been in love with all along... Peter/OC/Edmund - Formerly ROSE IN NARNIA
1. Prologue

Prologue

_**There is a world far distant from our own, in a place where time and space are completely different from our own. Here lies Narnia, a land of peace and tranquillity where good Kings and Queens rule from the ancient palace of Cair Paravel. **_

_**Each King or Queen has a Protector, a powerful being (not always human) who protects them from any threat that may hold sway. Many Protectors have died for those they serve and they are always putting themselves in danger for the sake of the monarch. This ancient legacy has existed since before anyone can remember.**_

_**An ancient prophecy foretells the arrival of two Sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve, all of who will rule Narnia together. This is largely seen as a blasphemy of the laws that bind Narnia. **_

_**The prophecy also talks about a Protector different from the others. She will be a daughter of Eve, but there will be conflict within her heart – the love that she holds will be strong, but while two compete for her heart, there can only be one victor, one who will win her.**_

_**It is unknown how and when these five will enter Narnia, but many are wary of the day that they arrive and are suspicious of their intentions. However, the Narnians had bigger concerns when Jadis of Charn, the last of a long-dead race, entered Narnia and proclaimed her intentions to steal the crown from the beautiful Queen Swanwhite.**_

_**Jadis has managed to invade and anyone who stands in her path is turned to stone. Swanwhite knew she had to escape the palace, and so she enlisted the help of her Protector, a young woman by the name of Lady Sarah...**_

"**We must hurry, your Majesty." The meaningful whisper echoed through the corridor, and Queen Swanwhite followed the sound of Lady Sarah's voice, drawn to it as if by a string. It was the only guide she had in this deep labyrinth that made up the corridors of Cair Paravel.**

**The burning torches on the wall held no warmth for either the Queen or her Protector. Since Jadis had arrived, they felt as though they were chilled to the bone, and Sarah's teeth chattered as she stumbled on. Her sword was drawn and she glanced around her for any signs of life, anything that might bring harm to her Queen.**

**Swanwhite gazed at the young woman leading her to safety. Lady Sarah was her most trusted friend, and a fearsome warrior at only twenty-three years old. Her auburn hair was starting to stick to the back of her neck, and the bright colour contrasted with her pale grey eyes and fair skin.**

"**Do you know where we're going, Sarah?"**

**Swanwhite didn't like to ask, but she had to know the truth. Her Protector would never knowingly lead her Queen into danger, but Lady Sarah seemed to stop and hesitate every now and again, dithering as if she didn't know what the future could hold for her. **

**Swanwhite had not been told before where they were going, because she trusted Sarah to lead her out of this precarious situation.**

"**Away, my Queen." Sarah's voice faltered slightly.**

**That was the best answer Swanwhite could expect right now, and she was quite surprised when Sarah pulled open a stone grate and stooped down, holding a flaming torch in front of her as she glanced around.**

"**It's all clear, your Majesty."**

**Swanwhite gathered her skirts and stepped through the grate with the grace expected from one of her rank, closely followed by her loyal Protector. She could tell that Lady Sarah was on edge, but also knew that the young woman was brave and would protect her at all costs.**

**Since Jadis had stormed Cair Paravel, determined to hunt and kill Swanwhite, Lady Sarah had taken the initiative to flee with the Queen straight away. While this was seen as cowardly in Swanwhite's opinion, the Protector did not lack intelligence. She knew what would happen if Jadis caught up with them and knew that the Narnians would prefer a runaway Queen to Jadis.**

**Waiting at the end of the hall was Lord Nazareth, one of Swanwhite's most trusted advisors. He flapped his arms, urging the Queen and her Protector to hurry. Sarah quickened her pace and Swanwhite followed suit. Lord Nazareth glanced around him suspiciously and drew his sword.**

"**If we don't leave immediately, her spies will catch us," Sarah told him fervently, her grey eyes darting from side to side, clearly as nervous as Nazareth was.**

**Lord Nazareth nodded vigorously. "I absolutely understand, Lady Sarah. We must make haste."**

**They moved out into the courtyard, and Lady Sarah gripped her Queen's arm as she glanced up at the moon overhead, full and round. Somewhere nearby, a wolf howled, sending chills down the young woman's spine. Sarah wondered whether the other inhabitants of Cair Paravel would have the sense to flee. Jadis could take over the palace, but she would have no real power while Swanwhite was alive – which was why Jadis would kill her.**

**Lord Nazareth paused, spinning around as if he might have heard something. The Protector rolled her eyes and stalked over towards him, grabbing him by the shoulder and whirling him back, an impatient expression on her face.**

"**We don't have time to waste. Her spies will catch us."**

"**They most certainly will," agreed Lord Nazareth, and impaled Lady Sarah through the stomach with his sword, "In fact, they already have."**

**Swanwhite was more shocked than Lady Sarah. She clapped both hands over her mouth to restrain a cry of horror, and she watched as the blood blossomed from her friend's wound. **

**Lady Sarah's grey eyes were wide, but she appeared more confused than anything else. Her hand groped almost blindly for the wound, and she found it as the warm blood stained her hand. Her grey eyes were full of alarm as she glanced from Lord Nazareth to Queen Swanwhite.**

"**I'm sorry, your Majesty. I've failed you." Her voice was hoarse and she sounded on the verge of tears.**

**Swanwhite watched in numb disbelief as the Protector collapsed to the ground, and Lord Nazareth busied himself cleaning the blood from his sword. There was nowhere for Swanwhite to run, they both knew it. Her Protector was dead, and surely she was going to be next. She tried to maintain her composure. She was, after all, the Queen of Narnia.**

**A group of wolves ran into the courtyard, snarling and barking. Their teeth were bared and they looked savage. Swanwhite knew better than to even move. It wasn't as though she had much of a chance anyway. Without Sarah, she was nothing. **

**An elegant woman trailed behind them, a woman more beautiful than anyone Swanwhite had ever seen – even more beautiful than her. The woman clutched what appeared to be an ice spear, and she examined Swanwhite with disdain. Her lips curved into a smirk, but her eyes remained cold.**

"**So this is the former Queen of Narnia. How pathetic. It seems her poor, dead Protector had more gumption. Shame, really."**

**Lord Nazareth glanced beseechingly at the woman, the woman Swanwhite realised must be Jadis. Who else was capable of bearing such cruel, ruthless beauty with such ease? At her heels, the wolves snarled threateningly, but Jadis paid them no attention. Her eyes were fixed on Nazareth's.**

**Jadis inclined her head. "Kill her."**

**Swanwhite was frozen in fear as Nazareth moved forward, sword in hand. She couldn't believe that he had betrayed her to Jadis. Why would any Narnian ever want to serve this horrible woman? She attempted to stop her heart racing and she watched Nazareth with her chin tilted defiantly. Demeanour was everything – she'd learned that lesson from her father, and she had hoped to teach it to her children one day. Now, there would be no children.**

"**You are a traitor to Narnia," she informed Nazareth coldly, "You will be doomed until the day you die – **_**so mote it be**_**!"**

**Nazareth's eyes widened as Swanwhite's voice echoed around the courtyard with a definite ring of power. She had used strong words and he wondered if Aslan had heard her. Best not to think of such things. He moved quickly, stabbing the once radiant Queen through the heart.**

**Jadis watched, her mouth twisted in contempt, as Swanwhite fell to the ground, toppling over the body of her fallen Protector. They were both weak. Now she would establish a strong Narnia – one where it would be eternally winter.**

"**Unfortunately, Nazareth, she was right about you." Jadis turned to stare at the man with her head cocked to one side. "You have served your purpose." She smiled down at the wolves at her feet, still snarling with their teeth bared. "Kill him."**


	2. Cards and Chocolates

**Chapter One: Cards and Chocolates**

Rose Finley was smiling as she closed and locked the door behind her. She breathed a deep sigh of contentment when she realised that the sky was free of clouds. It looked like it was going to be a lovely day – as it should be. After all, it _was _Valentine's Day. At fourteen, Rose possessed romantic notions of what this day was all about – people giving and receiving cards and chocolates. It didn't bother her that she hadn't ever got a Valentine, although she did wonder what it would be like to have one. She had often contemplated the sorts of things that would happen and the gifts she might get, but they'd always been left disappointed.

Rose's heavy shoes crunched over the gravel as she walked across the road to the house directly opposite her own, and knocked on the door. She knew all too well who lived in that house, because she was over there whenever she had a second of spare time. The Pevensies had been her best friends ever since she could remember.

That was how it had always been – Rose and the Pevensies. They were practically inseparable. Rose's parents didn't mind; after all, Rose was an only child and things could get boring when she was by herself.

Lucy answered the door, a wide toothy smile on her face. Though she was twelve years old – two years younger than Rose – they were still very good friends.

"You're here!" Lucy cried delighting, wrapping her arms around Rose and hugging her fiercely, "Come in! Do you want some tea?"

Rose smiled. "No, thank you."

Rose walked to school with the Pevensies every day. It had become custom for her to run over and knock on their door. Mrs Pevensie invited Rose inside, and Lucy grabbed her by the hand and led her upstairs into the room that she and Susan shared. This was where the three girls spent their time when they giggling and gossiping about matters that wouldn't interest Peter and Edmund.

Susan was putting the final touches on her school uniform, and she turned at smiled at Rose. Rose had always envied her older friend's beauty – at sixteen, Susan was in the prime of her looks. She had wavy dark brown hair, thick and cascading down her shoulders. Her eyes were bright blue, the same colour as the sky outside. Her skin was milky pale, with a smatter of freckles across her face. She smiled gently upon seeing Rose, and pulled her friend into a tight embrace.

"It's always lovely to see you, Rose – even on a Monday."

Lucy pulled a distasteful face. "Mondays are just the worst."

Peter walked into the room, pausing when he saw Rose. Peter was the oldest Pevensie at seventeen, with hair like caramel and sharp blue eyes. Rose's stomach lurched – she had to admit that she found Peter good-looking, but he would just consider her to be a child. She had once entered silly girlish notions about him and, embarrassing, had once had a huge crush on him.

"Hello, Rose. I thought I heard you come in. Are you girls nearly ready? I think we're just waiting on Ed now."

Footsteps in the corridor alerted them to Edmund's impending presence. He trudged into the room with a sullen expression on his face. He was the same age as Rose, with dark hair, dark eyes and freckles. He met Rose's eyes for a second, and then averted them.

Rose remembered how he actually used to speak to her. Nowadays, he was silent more often, and had become quite antisocial. Rose thought perhaps it was because he was fourteen, and teenage boys were often strange like that. Whatever it was, she hoped that he would grow out of it. Mrs Pevensie was forever trying to get him to join in with the others, but Edmund rarely did.

"Wait a minute," Peter frowned in consideration, "I've forgotten my lunch. Edmund, come downstairs and I'll see if Mother's made yours yet."

Their footsteps outside receded, and Susan sighed wearily as Edmund studiously avoided looking at anyone as he followed Peter downstairs. She finished brushing her dark hair and set the brush aside.

"He's becoming very difficult. I think it's just because of his age. He's quite bothersome lately." Seeing Rose's disheartened look, Susan placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "It's alright. I know he doesn't talk to you much anymore – he doesn't talk to any of us, really. He'll come out of his shell eventually."

Rose certainly hoped so. Edmund had been fun to muck around with when they'd been younger. In the past few months he had become quiet, shooting inconspicuous looks at Rose when he thought she wasn't watching, but never actually talking. Rose wondered how long it was going to go on for.

"Girls, do hurry up!" Mrs Pevensie called up the stairs, "You're going to be late if you don't move along."

**PARAGRAPH**

The walk to school was not a very long one. Mrs Pevensie was forever talking about sending them off to boarding school, which of course none of the Pevensies wanted. The boarding schools would be single-sex and it would mean that they wouldn't see each other as much.

Lucy was in her last year of primary school – although she looked younger than she actually was. She was very excited about attending high school along with all of the others next year.

The others went to a high school not far along the road. Normally they would drop Lucy off at her school and then travel on to their own. In summer, they would normally stop at the local deli after school to buy ice lollies. In winter, they took shelter in there for a few minutes, shivering and trying to delay having to return to the cold.

As usual, Peter, Susan and Rose were chatting after having dropped Lucy off at primary school, but Edmund lagged behind, evidently not wanting much to do with his siblings and their best friend. Rose would turn around every now and again, attempting to involve him in what they were doing, but he would deliberately look away – so she eventually stopped trying.

Once they reached the imposing school gates, Peter caught Rose by the arm and drew her aside. He waited until Susan and Edmund had passed until he spoke.

"Could I talk to you for a minute?"

Rose nodded her consent, and watched with bewilderment as Peter flushed bright crimson. He fiddled around in his bag, before pulling out a parcel. He seemed quite embarrassed, and Rose's mouth opened slightly as he handed it to her.

"Happy Valentine's Day."

Rose opened it, while Peter waited anxiously for her reaction. Meanwhile, her mind was racing. Was Peter just doing this as a sort of friendly thing? It didn't necessarily mean he had a romantic interest in her, did it? Of course it couldn't! Peter was seventeen, she was fourteen. He was so much older, more mature, he couldn't possibly be interested in her.

She eventually found a box of chocolates and a card that she suspected artistic Lucy had helped Peter to create.

"Oh, Peter, thank you!"

Rose wasn't quite sure whether she should hug him. She normally did, but she hadn't yet deciphered if this situation was just friendly or...well, romantic. She decided not to, offering him a bright smile instead. Peter smiled back at her, obviously pleased that she liked his gift. Rose carried it off, a feeling of happiness welling up inside her like a huge bubble.

**PARAGRAPH**

The lock clicked, and Rose opened her locker and gently placed Peter's gift inside it. She smiled faintly to herself – this year, she could actually say she'd received a present from someone! After all the years of hopeless romanticism, it had finally become a reality.

Someone tapped Rose on the shoulder, and she turned around to Susan, who stood behind her looking quite troubled. Rose wondered if one of the boys was attempting to read her out a soppy love sonnet. That had happened last year – some boy had followed her around confessing his love for her, while Edmund and Rose had watched, doubled over with laughter, as Susan tried to avoid him.

"Listen, Rose," she murmured, "I wasn't supposed to tell you - but I think Edmund's got something for you, too. I'm just saying in case he's too...well, you know...in case he doesn't give it to you. You know how he is."

Rose knew how Edmund teased Peter when the older boy seemingly flirted with her. Rose had always passed it off as silliness, but maybe there was something more behind it. Could Peter really have a crush on her, one so obvious that she hadn't noticed it? Was Edmund hiding feelings of his own? This Valentine's Day was surely more confusing than any she'd experienced so far.

She nodded and Susan breathed a sigh of relief before offering Rose a quick wave, heading off to her class. That was the problem – now that Edmund was so antisocial and quiet, he didn't even talk to her in class. As he was the only Pevensie the same age as Rose, it usually meant she had to talk to her other friends. She exhaled deeply and headed to English.

Edmund slid something onto Rose's desk as he walked towards the back of the room. His pace was hurried, and he refused to meet her eyes as he walked away. Rose's heart lurched – but then she noticed it was only a piece of blue paper. The confusion was back again; did she actually like Edmund or Peter? Or neither of them? Baffled, she unfolded the piece of paper.

_I know it's not as fancy as Peter's little card, but Happy Valentine's Day.__  
__Love always, Edmund_

__It was short and to the point – nothing like the elaborate poetry Peter had written (obviously he had hired Susan to help him - Peter was usually no good in such things), but Rose liked it just as much. It was just like Edmund: blunt and precise. Edmund was bright red and refused to meet Rose's eyes for the rest of the lesson.

Rose felt somewhat self-conscious, and slightly guilty - should she have got Valentine's Day gifts for everyone as well? There was no way she could have known, and she didn't know what she would have done even if she had known. She couldn't have known.

**PARAGRAPH**

The five of them walked home, Susan bearing a large bag of gifts from many of her admirers. Peter teased her, probably to relieve himself of the embarrassment of giving a present to Rose, but Edmund was sullen and quiet. Lucy soon joined them, but as she was only twelve, she had not received any Valentine's Day gifts.

Mrs Pevensie was waiting nervously outside the front of the house. This was an unusual surprise, and Lucy went up and hugged her mother. There was a strange expression on Mrs Pevensie's face, and her gaze was fixed on Rose. Susan gave her mother a questioning glance, but Mrs Pevensie didn't meet her daughter's gaze.

"You four go inside," Mrs Pevensie said in a strained voice, "Rose, may I speak to you for a moment?"

Rose dearly hoped it was nothing to do with the Valentine's Day gifts, hoped that Mrs Pevensie hadn't known that her sons were planning on giving her those presents. Susan must have done a bit of snooping to find out, and she didn't think Mrs Pevensie would resort to such low measures.

"Now, you're in for a bit of a nasty shock, dear – and I must say I am terribly sorry that you have to hear this from me. Your father died in the war – and your mother has been enlisted to step in as a nurse. It offers more pay than her current job and with...well, with what happened to your father, she needed to provide for your by herself. She only told me this morning because she had to leave. She was very upset about having to leave on such short notice. I'm ever so sorry, Rosie darling, but you're to stay with us."

Rose could feel hot tears as she realised her father...he had died in the war...and now her mother had gone...

The pain wasn't what she'd expected. In fact, it wasn't pain at all. She was feeling numb inside, like nothing could ever touch her again. The cold feeling in her stomach made her feel quite sick. She walked inside almost as if in a dream, barely listening as Mrs Pevensie told her she was to share a room with Susan and Lucy. All her things had been sent over, and Mrs Pevensie got to work making Rose at home. The Pevensie children all went to comfort her.

Susan noted Rose's shock first, and wrapped her arms around her best friend, holding her close. Tears slid down Rose's face, but she barely acknowledged them. They didn't feel like a part of her, and suddenly trivial matters like Valentine's Day presents didn't matter to her anymore. Something much bigger had happened.

Lucy snuggled up to Rose as well, while Peter and Edmund watched awkwardly from a distance. They felt as though Lucy, Rose and Susan were caught up in a world all their own, a world that they could never enter.


	3. Picking Up Pieces

**Chapter Two: Picking Up Pieces**

**A/N: Okay, well, I feel that last time around I didn't delve deep enough into Peter and Edmund's relationships with Rose before they went into Narnia. I thought I'd explore that a bit more this time – hence why I added the Edmund/Rose scene in this chapter. Reviews would be nice, to let me know if I'm doing okay.**

Edmund watched the battle high up in the sky, intrigued. The siren wailed continuously, but Edmund paid no heed to it. Danger might be inevitable, but he was content to sit here in his dream, watching the flashes of light overhead.

Mrs Pevensie noticed her son as soon as she entered the room, and an expression of shock lit her face as she hurried towards him.

"Edmund! Get away from there!"

Upstairs, Susan turned on her bedroom light as she sifted through her things, Rose hovering behind her concernedly with a torch in her hand. The war had come to them, and for once she felt something again. The same thing that had taken her father away had come, and she didn't want to be swept away by the threat it posed.

"Mummy!" yelled a terrified Lucy.

Susan turned to see Lucy curled up in a frightened ball under the covers of her duvet. Her dark blue eyes were wide with horror, and Rose hurried over and grabbed the younger girl's cold hand, helping her out of her bed.

"Lucy, come on."

The Pevensies and Rose raced downstairs to the kitchen, before unlocking the door and racing outside to the shelter. Aeroplanes flew overhead, dropping bombs, and they all ran for their lives. Rose's heart thumped in her chest as the planes whirred, and she could feel her head beginning to spin.

"Wait!" cried Edmund, "Dad!"

He turned around and ran back towards the house, and Peter sighed heavily and sprinted after him, shouting, "I'll get him!"

Rose felt that she had gone suddenly cold as she watched the two Pevensies brothers running back towards the house – running straight into danger.

"Peter, no!" shrieked Mrs Pevensie, "Come back!"

Rose watched apprehensively, before Mrs Pevensie led her into the shelter. She didn't know what would happen, but Susan and Lucy were determined to know what was going on. Mrs Pevensie left the door open, just as an explosion erupted around the back of the house.

Lucy cried out, but Rose remained numb. She'd once thought, rather stupidly, that you could feel it when someone you loved died – but she hadn't felt her father die. She didn't know what had happened to Peter and Edmund. All they could do was wait.

The boys returned, Peter pushing Edmund roughly onto a bed. His blue eyes flashed with anger, and Rose didn't think she'd ever seen the mature oldest Pevensie so furious with anyone.

"Why can't you think about anyone else but yourself?" Peter fumed, "You're so selfish!"

Mrs Pevensie glared at him. "Stop it." Her tone would usually tell Peter to do as was told, but today Peter was feeling rebellious and defiant.

She embraced Edmund stiffly, and Edmund gave Peter a bitter look, and that was what prompted him to speak again.

"Why can't you just do as you're told?" demanded Peter, before closing the door to the shelter.

**PARAGRAPH**

Everyone else was asleep when Rose crossed the shelter to go and sit on the end of Edmund's bed. After a few moments, she sighed heavily and clicked on her torch.

"I know you're awake."

Edmund sat up, his dark eyes apprehensive, as if he expected her to chastise him as Peter had done it. Rose, however, looked more curious than anything. That was the thing he'd always loved about her – that she was different to the others. While they were mad at him, she was clearly feeling something else.

"So why did you do it?"

Edmund shrugged, glancing across at the smashed photo of his father. Would Rose have done the same? He didn't know if his father was alive, or if he'd met the same fate as Mr Finley. Sometimes, he wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

"I don't know. I just needed to."

Rose nodded slowly, not knowing what else to say. This was the first time she'd actually talked to Edmund properly in ages. Normally he was too busy in his own little world to even register her.

"Why don't we talk anymore, Ed? We used to be best friends, remember? Peter would tell us off all the time for getting into trouble..." She sighed wistfully, clearly reminiscing about the good times.

Edmund just shrugged again. "Things are different now."

Rose looked puzzled. "How?"

_Oh, let's think – maybe it's because I'm in love with you and the reason I'm not talking to you lately is because of that. Or because you probably prefer Peter even though he's just being a flirt. _Except Edmund couldn't just say that to Rose.

"Well...they just are."

Rose raised her eyebrows. "That's not much of an explanation."

Edmund just shook his head and she could tell that she wasn't going to be getting anything more out of him. She sighed and fiddled with the torch.

"I just wanted to say thank you for what you gave me on Valentine's Day."

Edmund's cheeks flushed and he looked embarrassed. Rose knew he had feelings for her...she could just never know how deep those feelings ran, or how long he'd felt that way. It had only been very recently, however, that he'd acknowledged his feelings for Rose as being love. It had been like a sharp slap to the face.

"It's okay."

Peter rolled over with an annoyed look on his face. Rose didn't know if this was because he'd just figured out that Edmund had given her something as well, or because he was tired and just wanted to get to sleep.

"Will you two shut up? It's past one o'clock."

**PARAGRAPH**

It wasn't long before the Pevensies and Rose were taken to the train station to go and stay with a man called Professor Kirke. No one knew how Mrs Pevensie had arranged this, and Rose didn't feel it was her place to ask. After the planes had started bombing England, Mrs Pevensie hadn't felt that it was safe for the five of them to stay.

They parted with tearful farewells, and Rose had been annoyed at Edmund's antisocial attitude ever since Valentine's Day. It seemed so long ago, so stupid now. But how could he do that, give her a card then, and only speak to her once ever since? After their night-time conversation, he'd gone back to ignoring her again, as if it didn't matter. Rose didn't want to admit how much that hurt.

Edmund didn't want to sit anywhere near Peter on the train voyage and so Rose decided to comfort him. He was a fourteen-year-old boy – sometimes she thought Peter was far too hard on him. Peter was still livid about how Edmund had endangered his own life over a photo, and the girls didn't want to get involved. The brothers did fight at times. Rose hated it when they did.

"Are you alright?" she asked of him, sitting down next to him and gazing in askance at the boy who was supposed to be her friend. She didn't know whether to expect a response or not.

Edmund shrugged, before nodding slowly. "I'm sick of Peter bossing me around."

Rose sighed. "He's only trying to do what's right, Ed. He was really worried about you when you ran back. We all were."

Edmund threw her a filthy look, before standing up, a cold expression coming over his face. He was sick of Peter being so saintly, so wonderful. Everyone looked up to him – he could stand Lucy and Susan admiring him, but not Rose. She had always been the one who could see the flaws in Peter, but now it was different. Something had snapped within him, knowing that she was defending Peter.

"Peter can't do anything by you, can he?"

Rose bit her lip. She didn't want to fight with Edmund. "That's not..."

Edmund shook his head to silence her.

"I thought you weren't like the others. _Perfect _Peter, that's what everyone sees him as. Peter's always the best, isn't he? After all, he got you a big fat box of chocolates!"

Rose frowned in irritation and ignored Edmund for the rest of the journey, choosing to sit with Susan and Lucy instead. She knew she should try and talk to Edmund, but she couldn't see it was going to do much good. She only wondered why he was always so bitter.

**PARAGRAPH**

They were picked up from the station by a stern-looking woman called Mrs Macready, apparently one of the servants in Professor Kirke's house. Rose was just amazed that they were staying with someone rich enough to have servants.

Mrs Macready explained the rules to them as soon as they got into the house, and showed them to their rooms. Rose was quite pleased with how things looked, and decided to quickly break as many rules as she could. The rules were quite stupid, really – if the dumbwaiter was just sitting there, itching to be used, then who was she not to use it? Once she might have got Edmund to join in with her mischief, but considering he wasn't talking to her right now, it would have to be Lucy.

Rose glanced about the room she shared with the other two girls. Lucy was rolling around on her bed, kicking her feet up in the air. Susan was brushing her hair for about the millionth time that day. There was a knock on the door, and Rose was the closest so she answered it.

Peter glanced into the room, smiling a little when he saw Susan and Lucy. He turned his attention on Rose.

"May I speak with you alone for a moment?"

Rose nodded, very aware of the fact that the last time they'd talked in private had been when he had given her the Valentine's Day gifts. She could feel her cheeks flushing at the memory and hoped that Peter couldn't see her going red. Rose closed the door behind her as she stepped into the corridor, so that Lucy and Susan wouldn't eavesdrop. She noticed the concern in Peter's eyes.

"Rose, are you alright?"

She nodded vigorously, determined to convince him. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Your dad. He's dead. I just thought..."

Rose shook her head, tossing away the unpleasant memories like brushing away unwanted cobwebs. She didn't want to remember the fact that her father was dead. Staying far away from the city with the Pevensies was the best way to forget and she actually liked it that way. It meant that she didn't have to think about the pain.

"I have no right to be upset. Your dad's away at war, too. You must know what it's like."

Peter nodded, obviously not assured. "You know if you need to talk, I'm always here."

Rose inclined her head, and Peter walked off down the corridor. There were muffled giggles from the girls' room, and Rose wondered whether Susan and Lucy had been listening, or they found something else entertaining.

However, that wasn't Rose's main priority right now. Edmund was walking down the corridor, a sour expression on his face. It was clear by the look on his face that he had heard everything that had happened. Rose felt a surge of annoyance.

"Peter's trying to flirt with you again." Edmund told her.

It was a statement, not a question.

Rose frowned at him. "I don't really think it's any of your business, Edmund."

She didn't know that jealousy contributed to his attitude; she couldn't know that. Edmund just shook his head as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders, and he passed by Rose, ignoring her completely. She watched him go with her mouth forming a hard line.


	4. Winter Wonderland

**Chapter Three: Winter Wonderland**

Rain pattered down the windows, and Rose gazed broodingly outside. She wished it was sunny so they could go outside, but for now they were cooped up inside playing a game of Susan's choice. Rose didn't really mind, except she could tell that such an intellectual game was starting to test the patience of the others.

"Gastrovascular."

Susan's voice broke through Rose's reverie, and then she sighed with impatience.

"Come on, Peter, gastrovacular."

Peter looked thoroughly bored, more bored than Rose felt. Sometimes, Rose did wonder why Susan had to choose a game like this. Why couldn't they just play Monopoly or something more interesting?

"Is it Latin?" Peter asked uninterestedly.

A smug smile lit Edmund's face. "Is it Latin for worst game ever invented?"

Susan slammed the book shut, glaring at her brother. Edmund obviously wasn't affected by her reaction, and he just leaned back in his chair. Lucy saw an opportunity and started begging Peter to play hide and seek.

"Come on Peter, puh-lease."

A small smile crossed Peter's lips. "1...2...3...4..."

Lucy smiled with delight, and she laughed briefly before running out of the room, searching for a place to hide. Edmund rolled his eyes and sighed heavily, clearly viewing hide and seek as a kid's game.

Rose immediately took refuge in a cupboard. She couldn't see a thing from where she was hidden, but she could definitely hear what was going on. Footsteps pounded down the corridor outside, and she felt a sting of irritation – this was hide and seek, wasn't whoever it was going to be a little quieter?

"I'm back!" Lucy cried, "It's alright, I'm back."

The footsteps stopped right near Rose's hiding place, and she realised that it had been Lucy running down the corridor. She felt puzzled, and pushed open the cupboard door to step outside. Lucy had a bright smile on her face as she raced towards Rose.

"Ssh, he's coming!" snapped Edmund from behind the curtain. He glared at Lucy when Peter came into the room. Edmund sighed irritably and stepped out from behind the curtains where he'd been hiding.

"You know, I don't think you two have quite got the idea of this game." Peter told them when he found them, an amused expression on his face.

Susan came up behind him, grinning. "Does that mean I win?"

Rose nudged her playfully. "I was hiding just as long as you!"

A frown crossed Lucy's face. Something was confusing her, and whatever it was, it was definitely baffling Rose as well. "Weren't you wondering where I was?"

"That's why he was seeking you," Edmund explained. His voice was dry and sarcastic, and Rose shot him a glare. He shut up immediately and avoided looking at her, a scowl crossing his face.

The frown on Lucy's face deepened. "But I was...I was gone for hours..."

**PARAGRAPH**

Lucy claimed to have found a hidden world in the wardrobe upstairs, so naturally the older ones had to check it out. Rose was intrigued, even excited, but her eagerness evaporated when it was made clear that the wardrobe was simply a wardrobe, nothing more.

"The only wood in here is the back of the wardrobe," admitted Susan, knocking on the back of the wardrobe. She exited giving Lucy a despairing look.

"One game at a time, Lu," Peter said calmly, "We can't all have your imagination."

As everyone turned to leave, and Rose gave Lucy a sympathetic glance, Lucy yelled, "But I wasn't imagining!"

There was anger and defiance in her voice, and this made Susan, Edmund and Peter pause and turn back to face her. Lucy was usually such a sweet girl, but something had definitely changed her. Rose exhaled deeply, wondering what was going to happen next. It seemed that they were all fighting nowadays.

"Well, I believe you."

Edmund's comment stunned everyone, including Lucy, who glanced at him in sheer disbelief.

"You do?"

"Yes. Didn't I tell you about the football field I found in the bathroom cupboard?"

Edmund's voice was full of glee, and he grinned wickedly at Lucy. Obviously, he enjoyed making fun of her. He was definitely old enough to know better. Rose glowered at him, wondering when he'd gotten so immature.

"Just stop," sighed Peter wearily, "When are you going to grow up?"

"Shut up," snarled Edmund, marching over to confront Peter with a wild look in his eyes, "You think you're Dad, but you're not!"

He stormed off in a huff, leaving Susan to glare at Peter. She planted her hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side, eyes narrowing. "Well, that was nicely handled."

She turned to leave as well, and Lucy looked very upset. Rose felt incredibly sorry for her, but she couldn't back her up. Rose hadn't seen this world and she didn't believe in it any more than the others.

"But it was real," Lucy sounded doubtful now, her voice little more than a murmur.

"Susan's right, Lucy. That's enough." Peter sounded firm, before marching out like his younger siblings before him. Rose was left standing there. Lucy ran over to her, hugging her. Her gaze was pleading as she looked into Rose's hazel eyes, practically begging her to listen.

"You believe me, don't you, Rose? You're the one who always tells all those stories when we were younger..."

"That's all they were," Rose said quietly, not wanting to hurt the younger girl's feelings but having no choice, "Stories. They weren't meant to be real, Lu."

**PARAGRAPH**

There had been more controversy involving the wardrobe. Lucy had woken them all up excitedly, claiming that she'd been into this fantasy land of hers, except Edmund had seen it too. Edmund had denied it, claiming that he was only playing along. Rose was growing angry at Edmund's spiteful attitude towards Lucy and this had only made things worse between them.

It was a bright sunny day for once, so they had all decided to play a game of cricket outside.

"Peter winds up, poised to take yet another wicket!"

The ball hit Edmund, who wasn't really paying attention, in the leg. Edmund was glancing around, absorbed in his own little world. He looked very annoyed and glared at Peter.

"Whoops," laughed Peter, raking back his hair, "Wake up, Dolly Daydream."

"Why can't we just play hide and seek?" ventured Edmund.

Rose wondered if Edmund was starting to believe Lucy's story – or perhaps he just felt remorseful, regretting how mean he had been to her the other night.

"I thought you agreed that was a kids' game," Peter told him.

"Besides," Susan chimed in cheerfully, "We could all use the fresh air."

She bestowed a smile upon her brother, but Rose could tell it was quite forced. Susan tried so hard to be kind to Edmund, but it often backfired. It was just the same as when Rose attempted to talk to him...not that she'd bothered lately. Edmund seemed to be better off left to himself.

"It's not like there isn't air inside," Edmund said nastily.

The smile dropped from Susan's face.

"Are you ready?" Peter asked Edmund.

Edmund smacked the bat threateningly against the grass, preparing himself. "Are you?"

Peter bowled the ball, and Edmund whacked it with all his might. The ball smashed through a window and into one of the rooms in the house. Edmund's efforts at being macho man hadn't gone well. Susan gasped and Lucy raced forward, inspecting the damage.

"Well done, Ed," Peter said sarcastically.

"You bowled it!" yelled Edmund defensively.

**PARAGRAPH**

Rose nudged the broken glass tentatively with her foot. She had to admit, while she didn't mind breaking a few rules, she did mind breaking a few windows. The Professor wouldn't be at all happy. A nervous feeling had come over her, just as a voice shouted out in the distance: "What on earth is going on?"

"The Macready!" cried Susan.

The five of them set off at a run, ducking from room to room, trying to find a suitable place to hide. Most of the doors were locked, and they found themselves racing upstairs.

_So we're playing hide and seek after all_, Rose thought to herself,_ Just not in the way Edmund wanted._

Rose held her breath as each hiding place was eliminated. She didn't want to hide in that wardrobe, did not want to provoke Lucy to flood them with stories of what she'd seen in there. They opened the door to the room with the wardrobe, and Susan glared at the others as they ran towards it.

"You've got to be joking."

However, footsteps were coming closer, and Susan followed the others as they ducked into the wardrobe. They backed away from the entrance. Things had gotten very dark very fast, and it had become hard to see. Soon they became fumbling around, trying to find their way around inside the enclosed space.

"Oww! That was my foot!"

"Will you stop shoving?"

All of them fell backwards, and Rose suddenly found herself feeling very cold indeed. Shivering, she glanced up to see snowflakes drifting towards the ground. She looked around with wonder - so Lucy had been telling the truth after all. She was amazed at the snow-covered trees that surrounded her, the layer of frost that covered the ground. It was even better than England in winter.

A sly grin crossed Rose's face, and she curved her hand under the snow's surface, feeling its cold texture. Grabbing a handful of the stuff, she threw the snow at Peter. It hit him in the back of the head, and he whirled around and threw a handful back, laughing. She joined the others in a snowball fight, until one of Peter's snowballs hit a brooding Edmund. He looked at Peter with a fierce expression in his dark eyes.

"Ow! Stop it!"

Peter seemed to realize then, and glowered fiercely at Edmund. He had been reminded, by snowballs and Edmund's attitude, of the events of a few days ago: Lucy had claimed Edmund had come into Narnia with her, and Edmund had denied the whole thing, pretended Narnia didn't exist.

"You little liar," he hissed.

"You didn't believe her either!" Edmund was defensive, standing up to Peter because no one else was going to do it for him. Rose and Susan were watching the two brothers warily.

Peter jerked his head towards Lucy. "Apologise to Lucy."

Edmund stood defiantly where he was. Peter advanced on him, a scary look coming over his face.

"Say you're sorry."

Edmund backed down. Peter had the advantage of not only years, but height. In a possible scuffle, Edmund would lose.

"Alright. I'm sorry."

"That's alright," said Lucy, a smug smile crossing her face, "Some little children just don't know when to stop pretending."

"Very funny," seethed Edmund.

They managed to find some coats from the wardrobe (Rose was amused when Peter gave Edmund a girl's coat) and Lucy expressed a desire to introduce them to her friend, a faun named Mr Tumnus. She also claimed that this place was called Narnia.

Rose shot a look at Edmund. He was pulling his coat around him and pretending not to notice. She couldn't believe how nasty he had been this past few days. Why couldn't he just have admitted that Lucy was right? Rose was beginning to like Edmund less and less. She could only hope that his attitude started changing for the better.


	5. Snow White Queen

**Chapter Four: Snow White Queen**

**A/N: I thought this chapter was important to illustrate Edmund's feelings for Rose. In the beginning, as you will see, he is very possessive and selfish, seeing Rose as being 'his'. I thought it was important because it depicts his journey to becoming selfless as he is later on, and how he puts his love for his brother before his love for Rose.**

Mr Tumnus's house was completely desecrated. Lucy was completely devastated, running towards the house. Rose comforted her, putting an arm around her shoulders, but all Edmund had in store were more sardonic comments.

Rose rounded on him, eyes sparking with rage.

"What's the matter with you?" she snapped at him.

Edmund glanced at her in surprise. He was completely taken aback by her sudden change of attitude. His dark eyes were full of shock, but Rose didn't care. Edmund couldn't just act this way and get away with it.

"You're acting very spiteful, and I'm sick of it!" Rose continued angrily, "Would it kill you to be nice?"

Edmund didn't reply, but his dark eyes were fixed on Rose. There were emotions deep in those eyes, emotions that Rose couldn't determine. She knew he was watching her even after she turned away.

Susan and Lucy looked astonished at Rose's sudden outburst, but they didn't say anything to defend their brother. Rose just folded her arms against the cold and found herself empowered by what she'd said. Perhaps Edmund would take it to heart and become a better person. Somehow she doubted it – if he hadn't listened to Peter, he wouldn't listen to her.

Rose pretended that she couldn't hear Edmund and Peter talking in mutters behind her and Susan as they turned and walked out of the place where Mr Tumnus had once lived.

"She's right, you know," Peter chided, "You're always acting so horribly towards people..."

"It's not all my fault," snapped Edmund in retaliation, "You always think Rose is right. You just think that because you have a crush on her."

There was an awkward silence for a few moments, and Edmund realised he'd taken it too far this time.

"I'm not the only one," Peter reminded Edmund quietly.

**PARAGRAPH**

Rose had been astonished when a talking beaver had offered them shelter. It had been utterly surprising, but according to him, many creatures in Narnia talked. Rose found this entire place fascinating.

They followed the beaver to a dam, and had dinner there. Rose allowed herself to take her coat off – it was rather warm inside and she found that she liked it. The cottage seemed cosy. Mr and Mrs Beaver started talking about some kind of prophecy involving two Daughters of Eve and two Sons of Adam.

"But what about Rose?" asked Susan in surprise, "Surely she has a part in the prophecy!"

Mrs Beaver smiled kindly at Rose as she continued. Rose found herself smiling back. After the rude shock they had got upon reaching Mr Tumnus's house, she had quickly discovered that the beavers were very friendly.

"Of course she does, dear. Everyone has their part to play, and Rose does too. She won't be a King or Queen of Cair Paravel, however."

"What am I?" Rose whispered, transfixed by the tale.

"Legend has it that when the Kings and Queens are crowned, another girl will be with them – a girl known as the Protector. It is her duty to secure the safety of the monarchs. The Protector is responsible for the Kings and Queens and if she must die in her line of duty, she must be prepared for that."

A shiver ran down Rose's spine. She could stop the Pevensie from arguing – but somehow the fighting in Narnia seemed a lot more serious than just their petty disagreements. It wasn't possible. She couldn't stay here and defend the Pevensies from danger.

The sad look in Mrs Beaver's eyes made intelligent Susan the first to realize the truth, which she pointed out quite clearly in a gentle voice.

"Rose isn't the first Protector, is she?"

Mrs Beaver shook her head slowly, and suddenly, Susan regretted bringing it up. Obviously, there was something upsetting about this, and she'd been too busy trying to be smart to notice.

"Susan," Peter sighed wearily.

Mrs Beaver held up her paws. "Oh, no, it's alright, dear. You all have a right to know the truth, after all." She took a deep breath. "The last Queen of Narnia, one hundred years ago – the one before Jadis – was Queen Swanwhite. I didn't know her, but everyone says she was so beautiful and kind...I wish I had known her."

Mrs Beaver was prattling on about nothing, and Rose knew she was reminiscing about a past she wished were hers.

"All of the Kings and Queens had their Protectors, but the last one was wiped out the same time as Swanwhite. Her name was Lady Sarah, and she was such a brave woman."

"How did she die?" Rose couldn't help but be transfixed by Mrs Beaver's tale, the story of a legacy that now belonged to her.

"A traitor named Lord Nazareth murdered her. He was a coward – he knew he never stood a chance against a Protector, so he tricked her. Then the White Witch ordered him to kill Queen Swanwhite. He got what he deserved though...she didn't have any further use for him, so she ordered him killed."

Mrs Beaver ended the story, and Rose felt a prick of sadness for Lady Sarah. She didn't know the woman, and she never would. But the two of them seemed to be connected by fate, by the coincidence that they were both Protectors.

"Where's Edmund?" Susan asked suddenly.

There was a dreadful silence as this sank in. Everyone glanced around, but there was no sign of the younger boy. Rose could feel her heart racing in her chest as she wondered what this could possibly mean – for Edmund, and for them.

"I'm gonna kill him," snarled Peter, his face set and his blue eyes blazing with fury.

"You may not have to," Mr Beaver warned him, "Has Edmund ever been to Narnia before?"

**PARAGRAPH**

Edmund hardly knew why he was doing this, betraying the others. Perhaps it had been the anger in Rose's eyes, the terrible fury that had pierced him like a dagger to the heart. He couldn't stand Rose being angry at him, but he didn't know what he was supposed to do. He couldn't help the way he was. He was doing this all for her, because he needed to prove to her that he was just as good as _perfect_ Peter.

He shivered as he trudged through the thick snow, pulling his fur coat tighter around his thin body.

The White Witch had promised him power and he would gain it. He was determined that he would triumph over all of his siblings, show them that although they continued to put him down, he was the best of them.

Edmund knew that Peter loved Rose, but he was determined that this time, Peter would not be the victor in this contest. This was something Edmund had always wanted for himself, something he always knew he had to have – Rose Finley. Peter was always the older brother, the better brother.

Dark thoughts ran through his mind, bitter and vengeful thoughts towards the perfect older brother who always got everything. He would not take her from Edmund. This time, Edmund would step out of his brother's shadow and finally be better at something – even if that something was loving Rose.

He didn't care what it took to convince her. He would go to any measure to get Rose, to make sure that she realized she belonged with him and not Peter. Peter was just a flirt – he would show interest now and end up breaking her heart. Edmund knew he would never do that to Rose.

_When I become King of Narnia_, Edmund ruminated to himself, _I will make Rose my Queen._

**PARAGRAPH**

Rose was thinking deeply to herself after she, Peter, Susan and Lucy had seen Edmund going into the White Witch's castle. How could he? How could he betray them? Lucy had called after him, but he hadn't even turned back. Was this the price they had to pay? Was this because she'd snapped at him? Edmund obviously hated her now. Why else would he do what he was doing?

A tear slid down her cheek, but it was so cold that the tear almost immediately froze into what looked like a tiny crystal gem. Rose wiped it away furiously. She wouldn't cry for Edmund, not when he was the one who had betrayed them. She didn't care for his motives. She just couldn't believe that he would do something like that – to her, to his brother and sisters.

Aslan was their only hope now, like Mr Beaver had said. But the only hope for who?

Rose felt like an outcast – the Pevensies were all to be Kings and Queens, and she was only to be a Protector. She felt unwanted, like she'd never been needed in Narnia after all. She didn't even really know what her destiny was.

Is that how Edmund had felt? Is that why he'd betrayed them all? She wished she'd tried harder to appeal to him. Maybe if she'd talked to him instead of berating him, this may not have happened.

She had been pursued by wolves, and had hidden up a tree. Mrs Beaver was now mending the wounds of the fox who had risked his life to save them. He yelped in pain.

"Keep still! You're worse than Beaver on bath day."

Mr Beaver shuddered. "Worst day of the year."

The fox was glancing over at Rose as though he recognised her sadness. She quickly turned her head, not wanting him to see the pain in her eyes. Only, someone else had noticed it to. Peter picked himself up off the ground and trudged over to Rose, sitting down beside her with a worried look on her face.

"Are you alright?" he asked gently.

Rose exhaled deeply and shrugged. That was a good question, one she felt that she couldn't even answer herself. Was she alright? She was more stung by Edmund's betrayal than words could convey.

"I'll live," she offered him a wan smile, "I'm just concerned about Ed."

Peter's face darkened and she knew it had been the wrong thing to say. While the others were anxious about their brother, Peter had been simmering with a boiling rage Rose didn't want to see him unleash. She had no doubt that if they ever crossed Edmund again, he would be very sorry for what he'd done when Peter was through with him.

"That doesn't matter now," Peter nearly spat the words, "Our main priority is finding Aslan. Once we do that, we can deal with Edmund."

He clambered to his feet and moved away and Rose got the impression that he was annoyed at her fear for Edmund. Miserable, she tucked her knees up to her chest and shifted closer to the fire.

Rose glared up at the night sky and sighed heavily. There were even more stars here than at home in England, and their cold, distant beauty just brought new tears to her eyes. She didn't want to let this go, but now she was torn. Edmund had turned against them and Rose wasn't sure whether she could forgive him for that.

She turned away from the fire. She didn't want Peter and the others seeing the tears that streaked down her cold face. Of all the things that could have happened in Narnia, she never would have seen this coming. Instead of getting better, things between the Pevensies had only got worse...and she felt that it was her fault.

"What have you done, Ed?" Her voice was a meaningless whisper, forgotten in the cold night air.


	6. We Shall Have Spring Again

**Chapter Five: We Shall Have Spring Again**

**A/N: Any guesses as to who the blond boy is that Rose sees?**

Rose shivered and wrapped her coat more tightly around her, trying to shut out the cold. They walked on, her feet starting to ache. She didn't dare complain – the others hadn't said anything and she didn't want to be the first. It was incredibly cold, but that was because it was always winter. Rose could hear Lucy and Susan discussing a person called the White Witch. From their tones of fear and disgust, she wasn't a person to be envied.

"Who's the White Witch?" Rose asked out of curiosity.

"Haven't you been listening?" demanded Susan, but then relented, "The White Witch has been ruling Narnia for a hundred years. That's why it's always winter. She's a horrible woman. It's Jadis, the one Mrs Beaver was telling us about."

Rose felt an unbidden surge of hatred towards the woman. Jadis, the one who'd been responsible for the deaths of Queen Swanwhite and Lady Sarah. Despite never having known Sarah, Rose felt a special connection with her, something that just refused to go away. It was probably because she had been the last Protector before Rose.

Something seemed to be moving amidst the trees. For a moment, Rose thought she saw a blond boy disappearing amongst the leaves, but then she was sure that it was her imagination. A chill ran down her spine.

"Hurry up!" called Beaver from up ahead, evidently impatient.

"If he tells us to hurry up one more time," said Peter in a light-hearted voice, "I'm going to turn him into a big, fluffy hat."

"Come on!" yelled Beaver.

"He is getting a little bossy," admitted Lucy.

"No!" cried Mrs Beaver, sounding terrified, "It's _her_!"

She didn't need to say what she meant. Rose, the Pevensies and the Beavers had all started to run. Rose could feel each breath of air burning cold in her lungs. She knew that it was the White Witch. The sound of bells – sleigh bells – were coming closer. Fright raced through Rose's heart as her feet pounded against the snow. She tried to run faster, but knew it was hopeless.

Rose didn't think they could outrun the White Witch. They dived down and hid in a cave underneath an ice shelf. They were all shivering, but it wasn't just because of the cold this time. Rose saw him again then – the boy with the blond hair. She pointed, her breath fogging in front of her.

"Look!" she whispered.

Susan craned her neck. "I don't see anything."

Rose peered out further, but again the blond boy was nowhere to be seen. She wondered if she was going crazy.

Beaver bravely decided to go and see what was going on, and soon enough, he came back in a very cheery mood. Obviously, it was not the White Witch.

"There's someone here to see you!"

Rose and the Pevensies were amazed by what they saw as they clambered cautiously out from the little cave. Standing in the snow waiting for them was Father Christmas. Rose's eyes widened and she couldn't help but feel amazed. Of course, she'd stopped believing in Father Christmas years ago...yet here he was, in the flesh. Narnia was truly a strange place.

He presented Peter with a sword and a shield, which Peter gazed at with admiration and longing. He pulled the sword from its sheath and Rose could tell that he was destined for something great, that he was more than the seventeen-year-old boy he appeared to be.

Susan was given a magical horn, a quiver of arrows and a bow. She observed her presents with a puzzled expression, as if she couldn't quick figure out what to do with them.

Lucy was given a small dagger and a special cordial that could heal anyone's injuries, no matter how bad.

Finally, Father Christmas turned to Rose and bestowed a smile upon her.

"Do not think I have forgotten you, Protector."

Rose was surprised. "You know who I am?"

Father Christmas chuckled. "My dear girl, every Narnian knows who you are."

He handed Rose a curved sword, different to Peter's, but still adorned with the Narnian colours of red and gold. Rose hefted it up. To her surprise, it wasn't as heavy as she'd thought. She smiled at it, but at the same time she was troubled by the implications that came with being given a sword.

Rose inclined her head. "Thank you, sir."

"Now, I must be off," Father Christmas told them all, climbing back into his sleigh, "Things do pile up after you've been gone a hundred years."

The jovial expression on his face turned solemn, and he added, "Long live Aslan."

Hearing Aslan's name again, uttered in such a reverent way made Rose feel a thrill of triumph. She had never met this Aslan yet, but she was sure he must be someone very important if everyone spoke about him in this manner.

**PARAGRAPH**

It wasn't long until Rose, the Pevensies and the Beavers reached the river crossing. To their horror, they realised that the river was melting, giving way from ice to cold water. Rose stared down at their newest complication, wondering what to make of it. The others had the same apprehension on their faces, but everyone followed Peter as he hesitated, before making his way down a narrow path. As the others trudged down towards the remaining ice below the frozen waterfall, Susan called, "Let's just stop and think about this for a moment."

The others turned to glance at her with disbelieving expressions. Peter especially looked thoroughly annoyed.

"There's no time," Rose snapped, her impatience to escape getting the better of her.

"I'm just trying to be realistic," Susan defended, looking taken aback at her friend's ferocity.

Peter turned to look at her, and Susan glared back at him. His reply was nastier than Rose's had been.

"No, you're trying to be smart. As usual."

They edged tentatively towards the ice. Rose was certain that it wouldn't hold their weight and Mr Beaver seemed to be thinking along the same lines, insisting that he went first.

They followed his lead, gingerly stepping across the ice. Lucy nearly fell, shrieking, but Rose caught her by the arms and steadied her. Every step made the ice crack threateningly under their feet and Rose was terrified that they would fall through.

"Oh no!" Lucy suddenly cried, as the sound of ice cracking reached Rose's ears.

They all glanced up to see wolves running across and jumping down the ledge to stand in front of them. The frozen icicles fell dangerously close, and Rose stepped back involuntarily. One wolf tackled Beaver. Rose was suddenly full of trepidation, knowing that these weren't ordinary wolves. They must have followed them from the dam.

Peter drew his new sword and pointed it at the wolf. There was a determined expression on his face, but Rose was wildly trying to conjure a way to escape this situation unscathed. Peter might be ready for a fight, but she was all too aware that they were just teenagers – in Lucy's case, not even that – thrust into a world they didn't understand. Peter didn't know how to fight any more than Rose did.

"If you leave now your brother leaves with you," the wolf told Peter, a definite sarcastic note in his voice.

Rose felt a mix of emotions racing through her. This wolf knew about Edmund. He was definitely alive...if she trusted what the wolf said. So Edmund was collaborating with those who hunted them, perhaps even the White Witch?

"Stop, Peter!" exclaimed Susan, fear for Edmund running through her as she tried to reach a decision, "Maybe we should listen to him."

The wolf leader chuckled. "Smart girl."

"Don't listen to him!" croaked Beaver, pinned to the ground by another wolf, "Run him through!"

"Just because some man in a red coat hands you a sword, it doesn't make you a hero!" shrieked Susan in despair, "Just drop it!"

"What's it going to be, Son of Adam?" demanded the wolf leader, "I won't wait forever...and neither will the river."

"Peter!" screamed Lucy.

Peter looked up to see the frozen waterfall giving way to fresh water. The icicles were blasted carelessly aside, and Rose ducked, her eyes flung protectively around her head.  
"Hold on to me!" Peter yelled at the others, an idea suddenly occurring to him.

Rose, Lucy and Susan all grabbed onto to Peter as he plunged his sword into the ice. Cracks ran around them as the piece of ice they were standing on broke away from the rest of the still-frozen lake. A wave of cold water washed over them, as Lucy screamed. It chilled Rose to the bone, wetting her all through. She felt she might never be warm again.

They finally got out of the freezing water, the beavers surfacing nearby, and headed towards the Narnian camp. As Rose looked around, she noticed that spring was definitely on the way. She couldn't help herself, and leaned over to gently touch a blossoming flower.

When she turned back, she noticed that Peter was looking at her with a strange expression on his face that she couldn't quite place. Feeling her cheeks heating up despite the fact that she was sopping wet, and knowing that she was turning bright red, she quickly turned away.


	7. I'm Going Under

**Chapter Six: I'm Going Under**

Lucy and Susan were commenting on dresses when Rose joined them. Lucy was garbed in a pretty light blue dress, and Susan was in a dark green one. Rose herself was garbed in a blood red dress. They were all down by the creek washing up.

Meeting Aslan had been one of the most wonderful and yet downright terrifying moments in Rose's life. When she had knelt before the Great Lion, she finally found a sense of understanding. She did belong here after all. That thought comforted her and she smiled as she listened to the Pevensie girls talking about dresses for their mother.

"We should bring her some back!" cried Lucy delightedly, "A whole trunkful!"

"If we ever get back," sighed Susan, sounding solemn, and then turned to Lucy with an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry. We used to have fun together, didn't we?"

"Yes," giggled Lucy, "Before you got boring!"

Rose laughed from behind Susan, and the three of them soon got into a waterfight. Lucy shrieked in joy as Susan splashed her, and Rose couldn't restrain a giggle as she splashed the other two girls.

Still laughing, the three girls went to dry off, but when they pulled the towel back, there was the wolf leader...or Maugrim, as Aslan had called him. Susan and Lucy screamed, while Rose staggered a few feet backwards, trying to back up – expect she jumped as another wolf snapped at her heels.

"Please don't try to run," said the wolf wearily, "We're tired, and would prefer to kill you quickly."

The wolves snarled, and Susan's face was set as she threw the towel at Maugrim. Rose pushed Lucy towards the tree and attempted to buy Susan some time as the older girl sprinted up to grab her horn.

Lucy clambered into the branches, while Rose lunged forward, jumping wildly in the way of the wolves as Susan ran back towards them, pressing her horn to her lips and blowing. The clear sound bugled through the trees as Rose and Susan hurried up after Lucy.

A group of Narnians charged towards them, Peter at their head with his sword in his hand.

"Get back!"

Susan and Lucy were screaming piercingly. Rose was staring down at the wolves snapping at Susan's feet, horrified. The older girl was struggling to climb higher, out of reach, but it looked like she was having a hard time.

"We've already been through this before," sighed Maugrim, turning to face Peter, "We both know you haven't got it in you. You may think you're a King, but you're going to die...like a dog!"

All three girls screamed as Maugrim dived at Peter. The wolf was fast, and Peter's blue eyes widened with shock. He didn't have time to move, before the wolf was upon him. There was a brief tussle on the ground. For a few moments, Rose's heart was hammering in her chest. Lucy dropped from the tree and raced towards Peter.

"No!"

However, Peter pushed the dead wolf off him, unscathed but shaken. He stared down at the dead wolf on the ground. It was the first time Peter had ever killed and Rose watched as Lucy moved towards him tentatively, wondering what that meant to him.

"After him," Aslan ordered those who had been standing by, looking towards the wolf who had managed to escape the clearing, "He'll lead you to Edmund."

He gave Peter a significant look, and Peter moved over to the tree where Susan and Rose were clambering down. As Susan jumped down, Peter helped Rose out of the tree, catching her around the waist and lifting her down onto the ground. He noticed how light she was, and how warm. He flushed in embarrassment and cleared his throat.

"Are you alright?" Rose asked, her expression one of concern.

Peter nodded, trying to look heroic. "Yes. How about you?"

"I'm fine."

**PARAGRAPH**

Edmund's return was a dramatic one. He was talking to Aslan for some time, his head hung in shame, and Rose guessed that he was apologising for his betrayal and his spiteful actions. She supposed jealousy, mainly of Peter, was a contributing factor. Since he had returned from the Witch's camp, he had apparently matured considerably – though Rose hadn't spoken to him yet.

"Rose?" called Peter casually, walking over to where Rose had been talking meaningfully with Lucy and Susan about Edmund's return and what it could mean, "Can I talk to you in the tent for a second?"

By now, Rose knew that when Peter wanted to speak with her alone, it normally meant he was going to bring up a private matter. She nodded and proceeded to follow him. She noticed the meaningful glance Susan shot Lucy, but pretended to ignore it. Peter just walked to talk to her. It didn't mean anything...did it?

"About time Peter and Edmund woke up to themselves," Rose heard her mutter.

Rose ducked under the tent flap, to notice that Peter was pacing. He only ever paced when he was really serious, and so she frowned, thinking maybe something really bad had happened. She glanced at him with askance written all over her face. Then he glanced over at her, his blue eyes wide.

"Rose," Peter's voice was hoarse, and she became acutely aware of the sudden fire in his blue eyes, "I think I'm in love with you."

She blinked. "What? You're not serious."

Of all the things he could have said, this hadn't been what she would have expected. So the Valentine's Day gifts, everything had actually been leading up to this moment. It seemed so strange that this was happening here in Narnia, in a world so far from their own. She felt her heart fluttering, her stomach doing back flips. She was certain that it could only mean one thing.

Peter nodded vigorously. "I am. I'm very serious." His expression suddenly changed to one of disappointment. "You...don't feel the same way, do you?"

Rose couldn't help but smile. She wouldn't have admitted that she had once possessed a childish crush on Peter, and for some time she had been pondering her feelings for him...but now she knew the truth. "Oh, Peter, of course I do."

To Rose's surprise, Peter lurched forward and kissed her on the lips. Rose was shocked, but then she melted and realised that she was kissing him back. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer, and she felt as though this was the best moment of her life.

Edmund was walking past the tent, when he caught a glimpse of Peter and Rose kissing passionately. He was filled with fury, that was inevitable – but there was something stronger there, the jealousy that was coming back, and above all...hatred of his perfect older brother.

Peter had always been a flirt. He got all the girls, but Edmund thought he might have had a chance with Rose. But now, Peter had got the only girl Edmund had ever loved, and Edmund was determined to win her over. He felt sick just watching as they continued to kiss, as Peter reached out and tenderly stroked back Rose's hair...as Edmund so wanted the chance to do himself. He realised that his betrayal had been his undoing. By deserting Rose, he had probably lost her forever.

Gritting his teeth, Edmund forced himself to turn away from them and he stalked away, filled with anger and envy. He felt that he was drowning in all the negative emotions, the ones he was supposed to have banished. Edmund had made up his mind that he was going to mature now, but it was hard when Peter had snagged the girl that he'd loved for years.

"What's happening, Ed?" He turned to see Lucy and Susan rushing towards him, mischievous grins on their faces.

"Did he tell Rose how he felt?" pestered Susan.

Edmund scowled. They would probably think he was disapproving of the whole situation, but he didn't care. That was better than them guessing at the truth.

"They're...kissing."

Lucy wrinkled her nose in distaste, but Susan clasped her hands together. Seeing Edmund's sour look she leaned forward, laughing and ruffled his hair.

"Oh, you're too young to understand. Someday when you're older and you kiss a girl, you'll understand."

Edmund frowned impatiently. "I'm two months older than Rose!"

Susan didn't seem to be listening. Suddenly she was stuck in a romantic daydream, her blue eyes wide and an ecstatic smile on her face.

"What do you think it would be like if Peter and Rose got married? Ooh, that would be splendid. Then Rose would be our sister-in-law!"

Lucy was watching Edmund with a slightly worried look about her face. His face hardened and he turned and stomped off, while Susan stopped fantasizing and watched him leave with a surprised look on her face.

"What's the matter with him? You think he'd be happy for Peter."

Lucy shot her older sister a meaningful glance. Had Susan really forgotten that Edmund had given Rose a Valentine's Day present as well? Susan went quiet as she realised her mistake.

"Oh."

**PARAGRAPH**

Rose shifted uncomfortably, unable to sleep. There were too many things to think about right now, not the least of which was that she and Peter were now considered to be in a relationship. Sighing heavily, she swung her legs over the side of her bed. The grass tickled her bare feet as she moved out of the tent.

It was nice to be able to walk around during the night without having to worry about the bitter cold. The White Witch's winter wasn't a problem within Aslan's camp, so although the gentle breeze that whipped Rose's hair back from her face was cool, it was not overly so.

"I see you have been making progress, dear one."

Rose whirled around and immediately dropped to one knee when she saw Aslan standing before her, averting her eyes respectfully.

"There is no need for such manners in the middle of the night, child," the Great Lion laughed, "Come, walk with me."

Rose obliged, walking by Aslan's side in silence. It was nice to feel the grass and dirt between her toes. It made her feel more connected with this world. It let her know that Narnia was just as real as England.

"I have noticed you have formed a romantic relationship with Peter Pevensie."

Rose felt her cheeks growing hot and hoped futilely that Aslan could not see her blushing.

"It is nothing to be embarrassed about," Aslan told her, "These things happen, especially at your age. However, you must be aware that eventually, you will be asked to make a choice. Two paths lie ahead of you, and once you start down one, you cannot turn back – not unless the paths cross again."

Rose blinked in confusion. "But...what does that mean?"

"Whatever you want it to," Aslan replied cryptically, "You are an intelligent girl, Rose...but sometimes even the smartest are blind to what is right in front of them."

Rose still didn't understand, but she nodded silently. Aslan lifted his head, his mane ruffling in the slight breeze.

"There is someone coming. I shall leave you now, because they are here to see you, not me."

Then the Great Lion was gone and Rose wondered what on earth he had been talking about. She admired and respected Aslan...but sometimes he could be very confusing. Peter was walking towards her, his hair sticking up at all different angles. He examined Rose with a range of emotions deep within his eyes.

"What are you doing out here so late?"

Rose smiled. "I'm looking at the stars. Do you want to join me?"

Peter moved towards her and Rose allowed him to wrap his arms around her waist and capture her lips with his. Kissing him felt right, especially under the stars of the Narnian sky.

"You were always so different," he muttered into her hair, "That was why I fell in love with you. All the other girls...they didn't matter. I think somehow, I've always loved you."


	8. Battle of Beruna

**Chapter Seven: Battle of Beruna**

Edmund could only watch with growing jealousy as Peter and Rose grew closer. They sat around, laughing and joking. Peter tried to show off in order to impress Rose. He would hold her hand and kiss her cheek and Rose would smile and laugh. Edmund saw the happiness that overtook her face and he wished he could be the one to bring about that joy.

Susan, Rose and Lucy spoke in whispers of a night-time, but Edmund could hear their giggling, and suspected that Rose was recounting all the funny things that had happened that day between her and Peter.

_Perfect _Peter, thought Edmund bitterly, Peter was always better in every way. He was noble, adventurous, brave and responsible. He would speak his mind and show his affections.

Whereas Edmund was more...quiet, serious. He had given Rose a Valentine's Day gift, but apparently that hadn't been enough. He should have told her he loved her before Peter did. That way, at least he would have had a chance. Now, he was forced to watch as Rose fell in love with his older brother.

Edmund soon realised there was no point spent moping around all the time, and so he put on an effort to look happy and jovial. He didn't want his sisters or Rose to guess the truth, didn't want them to know that he was in love with Rose, too. He couldn't let Peter down like that, no matter how much he envied his older brother.

He still felt guilty for betraying his siblings and Rose – that he hadn't quite got over yet. He supposed that because of that, he deserved everything he got. Perhaps that was the reason why Rose had chosen Peter. He'd stuck by her, while Edmund had been corrupted by power and greed.

It came as a shock when a dryad announced early one morning that Aslan was dead.

Everything had gone quiet and they hadn't been able to believe it. According to Susan and Lucy, he'd been sacrificed in Edmund's place by the White Witch. The horrible woman had come around and told Aslan that Edmund's blood was her property. After a long discussion with the White Witch, Aslan had announced that she rescinded her claim on Edmund's blood...yet he'd never stated the cost.

Edmund felt sick to the stomach. This was his fault. If he hadn't betrayed them, hadn't gone to the Witch, then Aslan would never have died. This was just something else, another burden for him to bear. He was only fourteen, yet he was in love with the girl he could never have, and the Great Lion had died in his stead. Why did things have to be so messed up? Why had Aslan done it? It had been Edmund that Jadis had asked after.

Edmund had been training Rose, teaching her to use her sword to the best of her ability. Of course, though she'd forgiven him as easily as the others, she still only saw him as her best friend, and he felt a pang of regret. The tension that developed between them in the past few months in England was easing, but not in the way Edmund wanted.

There was no time to think about, however. War was nearing, and Peter was to lead them into battle. Edmund didn't think he'd ever seen his older brother so uncertain. Of course, he had Oreius to guide him, but he would still be the one to give commands. Peter and Oreius spent a long time in what had once been Aslan's tent, talking in low voices. Edmund sometimes came to listen, picking at his nails disinterestedly.

The tent flap opened and the three of them turned as someone entered. Edmund was not surprised to see Rose garbed in a dark blue battle dress, complete with armour and her sheathed sword.

Peter, however, looked astonished. Clearly, he hadn't been expecting her.

"Rose?"

There was a steely glint in Rose's eyes. There was determination there, and Edmund smiled tightly as he knew that she would defy Peter if he didn't allow her to go. She lifted her chin defiantly.

"What's your plan, Peter?"

Peter glanced down over the map of Narnia, not daring to meet Rose's eyes as he muttered something under his breath.

Rose's hazel eyes narrowed. "What?"

"I said, you're not going."

"You can't stop me!" cried Rose, outraged, "I'm entitled to go to battle if I want. Let me guess, because I'm a _girl _I'm no good. I've been training, you know. I'm just as good as any other soldier!"

Peter shook his head vigorously. "That's not it at all, Rose. It's just...if something happened..."

He broke off, turning his head away. Rose then understood it was Peter's concern for her that made him want her to stay. Edmund was feeling bitter again, and he didn't meet either of their eyes.

"I'll be fine," Rose reassured him, placing a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. Peter still looked restless, didn't look convinced. He tried to push her away, but Rose would have none of it.

Peter and Rose argued for a little, before Peter expressed a desire to speak with Edmund alone. The younger brother was surprised, but he followed Peter from the tent, leaving behind a fuming Rose and a silent Oreius.

"I'll put her in the defence regiment," he told Edmund, before he sighed in despair, "Promise me you'll look after her, Ed. Promise me you'll make sure she's not hurt."

"I promise," Edmund said. He wasn't doing this for Peter, to keep her safe for Peter. He knew he was doing out of the selfish reason that at least this way, Rose would be close to him by Peter's permission. He almost smiled to himself – things were starting to look up, at long last. He could taste the sweetness of bitter victory on his tongue.

**PARAGRAPH**

They assembled at Beruna, and Peter and Rose shared a long, passionate kiss before parting. Edmund smiled grimly at Rose as she ran over to him, falling into step beside him.

Her eyes were still full of that same determination, and he knew that she would be formidable out there on the battlefield. She was a fighter, both physically and psychologically. She wouldn't back down. Things would have been different back in England, where women were not permitted to fight...but he was acutely aware that they weren't in England anymore.

"So Peter's got me under your charge, then."

Edmund nodded. She didn't sound angry. She sounded nervous. Like him, like Peter, Rose didn't know what was to come. She didn't know if this would the day she died. Edmund wondered if he should tell her – tell her that he loved her. He'd wait, he reasoned, wait until after the battle. He _would _survive, and so would she. He would make sure of it.

Rose watched nervously as Peter's regiment moved in to battle the first regiment of the Witch's army. She was glad that he wasn't fighting the Witch herself – not yet, at any rate.

"I hope he's alright," she muttered, more to herself than Edmund.

"He'll be fine," said Edmund, feeling annoyed, "Peter knows how to take care of himself."

**PARAGRAPH**

When they finally moved down into battle, Rose felt like she might be sick. She hadn't seen the blood yet – but she knew she would. She wondered what it would be like, all those bodies dying and decaying out there. She'd thought of Narnia as magical with all the different creatures and friends she'd made, but battle was practically the opposite. War was what had taken her father from her, and she didn't intend it to take Peter or Edmund from her either.

She fought furiously, using her sword to cut down any enemies in her path. She didn not want to kill and she felt sick even as she did so. Was this what it meant to be a warrior? Edmund watched her carefully, and if any enemy dared come near her, he killed them immediately. The battle seemed to go on forever – the more enemies they cut down, the more came. Edmund and Rose were backed up, slashing down any enemy they saw. Both were beginning to feel tired.

Rose bared her teeth and savagely slashed down a Minotaur. Almost as if the wind had changed direction, something happened. Something that sent a chill running down her spine.

The White Witch was nearer now. She recognised the woman from when she had come to the camp to claim Edmund's blood. Rose felt a surge of hatred towards her. The White Witch's gaze was fixed directly on Peter.

Rose was feeling very vengeful towards her, but didn't know why. The Witch had hunted them down, but she hadn't directly hurt her yet. Why did she feel the urge to fight that woman, to draw blood? She didn't know, but it was terrifying her. All she was that she had to save Peter before the White Witch killed him.

Apparently, someone else had had the same idea. Edmund jumped in front of the White Witch, and smashed his sword down, breaking her magical staff. The defiant victory in his face was clear – they'd managed to gain a point over the Witch at long last.

The Witch had a look of savage fury in her eyes as she stabbed Edmund in the stomach. The younger Pevensie brother paused, his eyes widening in pain as he clutched at the wound in his stomach and collapsed. Rose felt something break inside her.

"Edmund!" roared Peter.

He turned and fought her, fought as brilliantly as he'd been fighting the whole time. Yet she was better, and even Rose had to admit it. Peter was a teenage boy who had only been training a matter of weeks at most. The White Witch was clearly a practised warrior and Rose knew she should be grateful that Peter wasn't dead already. Rose watched with chagrin as the Witch slowly battered Peter down...but he wasn't the one she needed to worry about.

Rose turned and ran towards Edmund, fear pounding in her heart and shining in her eyes. Fear for him. She knelt down beside him, glancing in horror at the wound.

"I just..." started Edmund. He sounded like he was trying to defend himself.

Rose pressed a finger to his lips. "You're going to be alright, Ed. When Lucy comes..."

She stayed by his side, adamant that she would not leave him despite the battle that raged all around her. When the White Witch knocked Peter down and prepared to kill him, Rose gasped in horror and Edmund felt sick. She pressed her face into her hands, unwilling to watch...

There was a roar that was impossible to confuse. It was Aslan. Rose looked up at the hill with hope in her eyes. Aslan was sprinting down towards them, accompanied by a makeshift army of his own.

Rose didn't quite know what happened. One moment, the White Witch was standing over Peter, prepared to kill...then Aslan knocked her down, snarling – and Rose turned away, not wanting to witness the end of the White Witch.

**PARAGRAPH**

Lucy came and administered her cordial, and Edmund survived...although it was a close call. Peter had been shaken by his encounter with the White Witch, but he managed to get it together after a fierce embrace from Rose.

It wasn't long before they reached the beautiful seaside city of Cair Paravel. This was where the coronation of the Pevensies would take place. Rose felt slightly jealous – she would not become a King or Queen of Narnia...but that was not for her to decide. She had been given the role of the Protector, and she would carry that duty out.

"To the glittering eastern seas, I give you Queen Lucy the Valiant."

Rose watched with pride as Lucy positively beamed.

"To the radiant southern sun, I give you Queen Susan the Gentle."

Susan was, as usual, all serious as the crown was placed upon her head.

"To the great western woods, I give you King Edmund the Just."

Edmund was trying desperately not to smile.

"And to the clear northern skies, I give you High King Peter the Magnificent."

Peter rose with a proud look on his face that befitted his title.

"Once a King or Queen of Narnia, always a King or Queen of Narnia..."

Aslan's speech carried on. Rose wasn't really paying attention – she was thinking about her role in shaping Narnia. Was she really needed? Or should she go back without the Pevensies? She stood to the side, feeling out of place.

Aslan seemed to sense her doubt, and came to her after the coronation. There was a smile on his face, or so it seemed to her.

"Don't worry so, Lady Rose," he said to her in his rumbling voice, "You are more important than you think."

_Lady Rose..._

His words filled her with a new confidence. She took a deep breath and looked down upon the ocean, wondering what was to come...but knowing that it was time for her to take up the mantle of a Protector.


	9. The Golden Age

**Chapter Eight: The Golden Age**

**A/N: This chapter might be a little confusing if you haven't read Princess Rose...or even if you have. Basically, Rose gets married to Peter but soon finds that she is in love with Edmund. Something terrible nearly tears them all apart, and Edmund knows that he can't let it happen again...and he just can't hurt Peter that way. As their affair spirals out of control, Edmund hires a sorcerer to take away all Rose's memories of her love for him...although it devastates him.**

**3 years after LWW**

_"She's back!" Lucy's cry roused Edmund to attention, and his head snapped up from the book he had been reading as his younger sister rushed into the library, "She's back! Rose is back!"_

_His heart thumping in his chest, struggling to be free of the prison of his ribcage, Edmund shoved the thick novel aside and followed Lucy, breaking into a run in his desperation to get to the turret in time to witness Rose's arrival._

_A brunette girl rode over the drawbridge and into the courtyard. Her golden brown hair was the only indication of the girl Edmund had known, but she was much older now. He couldn't wait to see just how different she had become, and he and Lucy started to walk down to the courtyard to greet their friend._

"_It's been three years," Edmund sighed wistfully, hoping Lucy was still too naïve to pick up on the emotions heavily laden in his tone, "Good thing she wouldn't marry the Duke in Archenland."_

_Susan startled the pair of them by joining them in their walk down to the courtyard. She was fussing about with her hair, and her normally serious expression had changed into one of delight._

"_Oh, Peter will be so pleased!"_

_Edmund blinked. "Peter?"_

_Susan said no more as they entered the courtyard. The High King was already there, and Edmund watched dispassionately as he kissed the hand of a young woman with golden brown hair. The girl who was Rose Finley._

**5 years after LWW**

_"Rose – you look beautiful."_

_Rose flushed and grinned bedazzlingly, but her smile faded when she saw Edmund's stony expression. There was a miserable gleam in his dark eyes and worry clouded over her face._

"_What is it?"_

_Edmund bowed his head. He didn't know how to tell her. He'd summoned up his courage – but right now he thought he'd rather face Brody again than tell Rose he still loved her. But he had to. He'd already started._

"_Do you remember when we were children in England? You would sleep over all the time – usually, you and I would stay up, and Peter would tell us to shut up. Once, when were both nine, we stayed up all night. Not even Peter stayed awake."_

_Rose was glancing at him in askance, wondering why he was saying this. Edmund's voice cracked with misery by the end._

"_Oh, Ed…" Rose whispered, still not quite understanding._

"_You can't marry Peter." Edmund's tone was savage._

_Rose's eyes were wide with shock. "Why not?"_

_It took all the willpower Edmund possessed not to just run out now, while it wasn't too late. Instead he found himself meeting Rose's shocked gaze and saying, quite calmly:_

"_Because I'm in love with you, Rose."_

_Rose watched him with her mouth slightly open and tears welled in her eyes and spilt down her cheeks when she realized that he was deadly serious. She'd known about Edmund's feelings before…but it had been months since then. She thought he would have gotten over it by now._

_Then there was also Rose's own confusion, the knowledge that although she was marrying Peter, she didn't know which brother she really loved. Now that Edmund had confessed his feelings, it only made her feel more messed up. What was she doing? Why was she marrying Peter? Probably because he'd been the first she knew she really loved. Now, there could be no turning back._

"_It's too late, Edmund," Rose told him, hating herself, "I'm sorry – I love Peter. I am really so very, very sorry."_

**7 years after LWW**

_Rose was happy in her marriage to Peter, but Edmund felt as though he'd been dead for two years. If Rose bore Peter's child, he didn't know what he'd do. However, he was also guiltily aware that it was all his fault. He could still remember the terror in Rose's eyes when he'd issued that fateful order...but he just wanted to forget, as she had._

_Lucy noticed Edmund's heartache, but she never mentioned it. She was forced to watch as Edmund wallowed in his misery, only truly joyful occasionally. She wondered with chagrin when he would give up his love for Rose. Wasn't it clear enough that she would never love him back? _

_One night after their two-year anniversary feast, Edmund caught Rose by the arm. She gazed at him with her hazel eyes. There was a question he couldn't help but ask. He needed to know the truth._

_"Do you really love Peter?"_

_Rose could have stomped her foot in frustration._

"_Of course I do! Why else would I have married him?"_

_He felt like he was breaking, breaking, breaking. So Rose didn't remember. He knew it was for the better...and he only wished that he could forget, too. He wanted to stop himself, but he knew that sometimes, love could kill inside. _

_"Things change sometimes, Princess."_

_Rose recoiled from his touch as his fingertips gently stroked her cheek. There was something sad in his dark eyes. Somehow, the gesture struck her as romantic rather than the sort of best-friend thing that she and Edmund were supposed to have._

_"Edmund, please..."_

_"Would you divorce him if you didn't?" Edmund pushed._

_Rose shrugged. "I don't know. I love him. I can't ever see myself wanting to divorce him. Why...why do you ask things like that?"_

_Words could only hide so much. He needed to know the truth. Edmund grabbed Rose around the waist and pulled her to him, kissing her forcefully. She struggled and pushed him away and he knew then that everything they had had was gone. Rose had definitely forgotten._

_"Peter's a good man, Edmund."_

_Then she was gone._

**9 years after LWW**

"_SHE'S WHAT?"_

_High King Peter's enraged shout echoed through Cair Paravel and Edmund immediately poked his head into the infirmary. Peter was pacing agitatedly, his eyes blazing and his teeth bared, while Rose sat in a chair and sobbed profusely._

"_What's going on?"_

_The head of the infirmary, a dryad named Bryony, cleared her throat apologetically and averted her eyes._

"_It would appear that her Highness is infertile."_

_Edmund cringed, excruciatingly aware of the implications. This meant that Peter and Rose had...well, of course they had. Rose was twenty-three years old now and Peter would need an heir eventually. Of course, Edmund was by no means innocent himself. He had had a brief encounter with a naiad called Dittany, but she hadn't been the first. Edmund was painfully aware of who his first had been._

_Peter shot a look at the dryad, before suddenly hope appeared in his expression._

"_What if it's not Rose, but me?"_

_He crossed over and gripped his younger brother by the shoulders._

"_Edmund...would you do me a huge favour? I know this is a lot to ask of you, but Cair Paravel needs an heir. The people wouldn't know any better. I'm asking this favour of you as a brother...would you father Rose's child in my stead?"_

_Edmund felt insides twisting and knotting. It had to be some kind of trap. He should have been pleased...this was the chance to make love to Rose with Peter's permission. Except somehow, it felt incredibly wrong. He just couldn't do it. He took a few steps backwards, shaking his head._

"_I...I couldn't..."_

"_The evidence is clear," Bryony piped up, "It is Princess Rose who is infertile, your Majesties. She has been for six years."_

_Peter frowned, looking confused, but Edmund's hands clenched into fists. He remembered all too clearly a time when Rose had been badly injured enough to become infertile. He knew who was responsible._

"_Brody."_

**11 years after LWW**

_Things were getting strained between Peter and Rose. While Edmund had no doubt that his brother still loved Rose, he was frustrated. It wasn't Rose's fault that she was unable to produce an heir, yet that was what Cair Paravel needed. He was no longer the only one of his siblings who was married – Lucy had been married to Sir Lionel of Archenland a year past._

_Edmund remembered how they had first encountered Lionel, who was the same age as he and Rose. He remembered how the young soldier had attempted to drive them from Archenland, fully aware of the treachery of his liege, Prince Reagan. Reagan had been plotting his brother Lune's demise, and only the intervention of Lionel, Rose and the Pevensies had stopped him from achieving his goal._

_Edmund found Rose crying her heart out near the fountain in the palace gardens. Her shoulders were shaking with the force of her sobs. She heard Edmund coming and looked across at him, her cheeks glistening with tears and her eyes red-rimmed._

"_What's the matter?" he asked her, shocked at seeing her this way._

"_It's P-Peter," Rose managed to choke out, wiping at her eyes. "I d-don't think he l-loves me anymore."_

_Edmund sat down beside her, frowning. Why would Rose think that? It was obvious to anyone in Cair Paravel that Peter was completely devoted to Rose. He stared at her, puzzled._

"_But...of course he does. Why would you think he doesn't?"_

_Rose sniffed. "It's stupid really. He...I know he wants an heir – and I can't give him one, Edmund. I can't be what he wants."_

"_That's ridiculous," protested Edmund, "Of course Peter loves you. It doesn't matter that you can't give him a child."_

"_But it does!" exclaimed Rose, tears welling in her hazel eyes once more, "Oh, Ed...I wish you could understand...he's married a woman who can't even give him a child!"_

_Edmund's heart felt heavy as Rose sobbed into his shoulder. He put his arms around her, attempting to make her feel better...yet he knew that hers was a lost cause._**  
**

**13 years after LWW**

___"I know what you did."_

_Edmund turned around to face Lucy, who was looking at him with something deeply accusing in her eyes. He was confused, but she folded her arms and he knew by the hard look on her face that she wasn't impressed._

"_Look, if this is about the mead..."_

"_It's got nothing to do with the mead!" Lucy snapped, "It's about what you did to Rose eight years ago. Don't think I don't know, Edmund Pevensie."_

_Edmund had to be careful. There were two issues he could think of that had happened eight years ago, both which could prove to be deadly if Lucy really did know about either..._

"_What do you mean?" he asked cautiously._

_Lucy prodded him in the chest. "You know exactly what I mean. How could you betray Peter like that?"_

_Ah. Edmund knew what she was talking about now. He tried desperately not to go red, convincing himself that he was dealing with a difficult situation._

"_I just don't understand," Lucy vented, twisting a strand of hair around her finger, "Rose is so in love with Peter...but it wasn't always that, was it?"_

_They both knew what she meant. Out of his siblings, Lucy had been the only one to see that Edmund had never stopped loving Rose...and apparently, she had noticed that Rose had loved Edmund back. That seemed like such a long time ago._

"_Lucy," he gripped her by the shoulders, eyes serious, "I'm going to tell you something I should have long ago. It's killing me inside...but I know I did the right thing..."_**  
**

**15 years after LWW**

_"The White Stag went this way!"_

_Five horses galloped through the trees, their riders smiling and laughing as they chased after the White Stag – which before today, had only been a fable. Lionel had wanted to accompany them, but Lucy had insisted that he stay at Cair Paravel, along with their three-year-old daughter Alice. Rose tossed back her hair, laughing freely. It had been a long time since they'd all been in such good spirits._

_Edmund's horse slowed. "What's the matter, Phillip?"_

"_I'm not as young as I once was," the horse panted in response._

_Once the others realized that Edmund had fallen behind, they stopped with him to take a rest. Rose could really feel the magic of Narnia on a day like today, when they were so full of joy._

_"What did Ed say, Susan?" giggled Lucy._

_"You girls stay at the castle, I'll catch the stag myself," Susan put on a gruff voice, imitating her younger brother._

_They all laughed, except a shiver ran down Rose's spine as somehow, this place seemed oddly familiar. It was almost as if something from a dream had come back to haunt her. Lucy seemed to be thinking along the same lines, a frown coming across her face as she dismounted her horse with a murmur of: "Spare Oom..."_

"_Lucy!" Rose called after her, and the others quickly dismounted and followed the youngest member of the hunting party as she pushed through the trees. Everything became dark and Rose guessed the trees were getting thicker. It turned pitch-black._

"_Ouch!" hissed Edmund._

"_Peter!" snapped Susan._

_There was a light as Peter pushed open what seemed to be a door. They all tumbled to the ground, and the memories washed over Rose instantly as she glanced around her. The spare room at Professor Kirke's house. It was as if Narnia had passed them by within a matter of hours. She had left as a woman of twenty-nine, yet now she was fourteen again._

"_Well. This is...unexpected."_


	10. Back Where We Started

**Chapter Nine: Back Where We Started**

Things had changed since the Pevensies and Rose had come back to England – and not for the better. Much to Rose's horror, Peter had acted as though nothing had happened between them. Rose had been his wife in Narnia...yet now he pretended they were nothing more than friends.

She had disguised her hurt feelings well. Once her mother had returned from service, Rose immediately distanced herself from the Pevensies...but now it was hard, because the five of them were going to boarding school. Edmund and Peter were going to Hendon House for Peter's final year, while Rose, Susan and Lucy would be attending St Finnbar's just across the street.

Rose was beginning to feel that the childhood friendship she'd had with the Pevensies was becoming strained. It was fraying, especially now that Peter was eighteen and enjoyed going out with his mates to the pub on occasion. Rose hardly paid him any attention anymore. If he was going to act like nothing had happened in Narnia, then she would, too.

"Fight, fight, fight!"

The words echoed in Rose's head as she, Susan and Lucy ran towards the commotion. They pushed through the crowd, using their elbows to make it part in their wake as they rushed towards the heart of the fight.

Peter was involved in it, in the middle of a brawl between him and a group of other boys, and Susan shook her head in disapproval as Edmund made to join in, too.

The high, piercing sound of a whistle swept everyone back into reality, and they scampered away as the officers came through the train station and broke up the fight. No one wanted to be caught watching the fight or they'd probably get a severe scolding. Rose, Lucy and Susan moved backwards with the flow, waiting for Peter and Edmund.

"Act your age!" one of the officers yelled at Peter, shoving him roughly away from the other boys.

Sighing heavily, Peter picked up his suitcase and lugged it over to where the other were sitting down on a bench on their allocated platform. Rose studiously avoided his gaze. She'd had a year of practise and she was getting rather good at this, although it was harder because she would have to deal with Peter until they reached St Finnbar's.

"What was it this time?" Susan asked in exasperation.

"He bumped me." Peter replied simply. Rose could tell that he was trying to conceal his anger, and he was actually succeeding this time.

"So you hit him?" Lucy exclaimed, realising how illogical this was starting to sound.

"After he bumped me, they tried to make me apologise." Now Peter definitely sounded annoyed. He'd been asked to apologise – and was acting as if it had been worth the huge tussle.

Susan was evidently annoyed. "Really, would that have been so hard?"

"I shouldn't have to!" said Peter heatedly, and after a moment's silence he spoke again, "Aren't you sick of being treated like kids?"

Edmund snorted back laughter. "Umm, we are kids."

"Yeah, well, I wasn't always!" Peter sounded despairing, and Rose thought she could guess why, "It's been a year. How long does he expect us to wait?"

"I think it's time to accept that we live here," Susan sighed, "There's no point pretending any different."

A boy started pushing through the crowd towards them as a train headed for the station. He peered over his spectacles at them, and Rose noticed he was looking rather hurried.

"Oh, no," muttered Susan, glancing inconspicuously at the boy and then back at her siblings and Rose, "Quick, pretend you're talking to me."

"We are talking to you," Edmund reminded her.

Susan expressed her point by raising her eyebrows. It was obvious that she didn't mean the usual bickering, and Rose opened her mouth to speak when Lucy beat her to it.

"Oww!" cried Lucy, standing up suddenly.

"Quiet, Lu," whispered Susan, glowering at her. She didn't approve of her younger sister making a scene for no good reason.

"Something pinched me," Lucy claimed, pointing at the seat accusingly.

"Stop that," Peter jumped up, glaring at Edmund, who glared right back.

"I'm not doing anything," Edmund snapped.

Rose leapt to her feet. Something had pinched her, too. But everyone else was standing except Susan, and practical Susan wouldn't have done such a thing.

"Will all of you just..." Susan's logical comment broke off as she too jumped off the seat, "What is that?"

A grin spread across Lucy's face. "Feels like magic."

"Quick, everyone hold hands." Susan was, as always, the sensible one.

Rose seized Peter and Lucy's hands in her own. She might not have wanted to grab Peter's, but he was right next to her and there was no use being silly just to avoid him. She deliberately avoided looking at him.

"I'm not holding your hand," snarled Edmund.

"Just..." Peter seized Edmund's hand in his free one, and the five of them stood there as their surroundings changed, and when the colours stopped blurring they realised that they were back in Narnia. Rose could feel the magic the instant they exited the cave. Of course, it was not a place she recognized...but there was no denying what her instincts were telling her.

Lucy and Susan exchanged meaningful glances, giggling as they raced towards the ocean, which lapped at the sand and steep cliffs in the distance. It was inviting and blue that Rose found herself pulling off her heavy school shoes and socks and sprinting after them, a wild smile spreading across her features.

Lucy waded into the water without hesitation, not minding the fact that her school skirt was going to be sopping wet. Rose slowed her steps and stood on the shore, planting her hands on her hips in a satisfied way and laughing as Susan and Lucy splashed one another.

"You're not going in?" Peter asked her.

She turned to face him, her smile freezing on her face. "Well..."

Then a mischievous grin crossed the oldest Pevensie's face, and before Rose knew what was happening, he had scooped her up and over his shoulder as he marched down towards the water. A year's worth of tension was immediately forgotten as Rose pounded on his back, half-shrieking, half-laughing.

"Put me down this instant, Peter Pevensie!"

"If you insist," he replied smugly, and the next thing Rose knew she had splashed down into the shallows of the ocean. By the time she surfaced, Peter and Edmund were wrestling, both attempting to get each other in.

It was just like old times, when they had all got along. Rose started to question her own judgment. Perhaps Narnia had changed Peter. Maybe he did just want to be friends. Who was she to question that? She didn't have to ignore him just because his feelings had changed. If he wanted to be friends, Rose decided that she was alright with that...for now.

**PARAGRAPH**

After a pleasant swim, the five of them found themselves picking through ruins abundant with wildlife. Rose was, as always, marvelling at Narnia's beauty from her vantage point, when Lucy's words broke her from her reverie.

"I wonder who lived here." Lucy stepped down from her platform to inspect her surroundings once again.

Susan nearly tripped on something in the grass, and held it up for them all to see. It was something gold. The expression on her face was solemn, yet somewhat confused.

"I think we did."

"Hey, that's from my chess set!" Edmund exclaimed, moving forward to claim the small gold piece.

Susan frowned. "Which chess set?"

A grin spread across Edmund's face. "Well, I didn't exactly have a solid gold chess set in Finchley, did I?"

Lucy glanced around her with new wonder in her eyes, before turning to the others.

"It can't be," she whispered.

Rose realized in an instant what Lucy meant. Glancing around her as Lucy pulled her sister and brothers into place, she remembered a time when she had danced in this place, when she had fought, when she had married Peter...

"Cair Paravel," she whispered.

It seemed so sad to her, that such a wonderful place with so many memories had been decimated. How could she ever forget? It looked as though a very long time had passed them by since they had been in Narnia. A chill ran Rose's spine as she wondered _how _long, exactly.

**PARAGRAPH**

"Rose."

She had been looking up at the Narnian stars that she had so missed in England. Rose turned on her side to see that Edmund was speaking to her and had edged closer. The others were all asleep and Rose smiled. It reminded her of old times.

"Whatever happened with you and Peter?" he asked tentatively, "You two were married...yet when you came back to England, it all changed. You stopped coming to tea and seeing us."

Rose felt bad. Her tactics of avoiding Peter had only meant that she'd ignored the rest of the Pevensies as well. Hopefully, coming back to Narnia would bring the best in them. The only problem was, she didn't see why they'd been summoned again. What were they supposed to do this time?

"I...don't know. I just think that Peter left his love for me back in the Golden Age."

Edmund begged to differ. He had questioned Peter about this back in England, seeing a chance for him and Rose...yet his hopes had been quashed by his older brother's answer.

"Don't you realize how stupid it would be if Rose and were suddenly together?" Peter had berated him, "I gave her a Valentine's Day gift, but that was it. This needs to be paced right, or else people will think it's weird, Ed."

"Who cares what people think?" Edmund had replied, "Isn't this about you and Rose?"

Peter had sighed heavily. "I'll court Rose when the time's right, Ed."

The time hadn't been right for a year now and Edmund saw coming back to Narnia as a golden opportunity. He didn't want to hurt his brother, but if Peter wasn't willing to do anything about his feelings for Rose, then Edmund certainly would.

"He's just confused," Edmund admitted loyally, ignoring the fight within himself – what did he want? Could he risk hurting Peter by embarking on a relationship with Rose? Would she even have him?

Rose leaned on her elbow and looked across at him. Aslan's mane, why did he want to kiss her so badly? She was silhouetted by the moonlight and her eyes sparkled just like the stars above them.

"Really?" She sounded hopeful.

Edmund knew that it was his own fault she didn't love him. First of all he had betrayed them in Narnia. Then, when she'd confessed her love for him, he had panicked, fearing Peter would discover the truth. He'd hired a sorcerer to wipe her memories of her love for him...because he just couldn't hurt Peter that way. He wished he could tell her that he wouldn't lie to her, but he had before.

"He just needs to sort himself out."

So did Edmund.


	11. The One You Love Best

**Chapter Ten: The One You Love Best**

The next few days flew by fast in Rose's eyes. They had rescued a dwarf, Trumpkin, from a pair of Telmarine soldiers. It had shocked Rose and the Pevensies when Trumpkin had explained that Telmarines had been in Narnia since just after they left. They had been summoned into Narnia because someone had blown Susan's horn.

Apparently the one who had blown the horn had been Prince Caspian – the rightful heir to the throne, who was around Peter's age. His uncle had usurped the throne and Caspian was attempting to rally Narnian support to take it back from him, promising them all freedom. Trumpkin had agreed to show them to the Narnians in the hope that they could help sort this whole situation out.

What confused Rose the most was the way Edmund and Peter were starting to act. Peter was becoming far overconfident, almost arrogant. He always had to be in control, always had to be the one to make the big decisions. He was so used to his position as High King, and was prepared to use that to his advantage.

Edmund was more sullen and antisocial than usual, hiding from the world in his own secluded peace of mind. He refused to talk to any of them, especially Peter who he now seemed to hold in contempt.

"Jealousy," Susan explained, "They both like you – so they're envious of each other. Especially Edmund."

This astonished Rose. She had been convinced by Edmund that Peter still had feelings for her...yet she hadn't known that the younger Pevensie brother possessed those same feelings. Edmund had hidden the truth well and Rose wondered why he hadn't told her. Of course, there had been Valentine's Day...but just like the year before, Edmund had given her his note and then left her well enough alone. Rose had been confused as to what his feelings really were.

"Why Edmund?" queried Rose, frowning in thought.

Susan's gaze was searching. "Because the last time we were here...you were married to Peter, remember?"

"Yes, but..." Rose wasn't quite sure what to say, how to act in the face of this. Edmund and Peter, jealous? Over her? "I'm not married now. I'm only fifteen. Things were different then."

Susan sighed. "All I'm saying is, if you don't make up your mind, Rose, this fighting is only going to escalate. And even when you have, I doubt everything's going to be fine again."

Before Rose could ask what she meant, Susan had rolled over and fallen asleep. The younger girl sat there thinking for some time. Did she really have to make a decision? Would Rose have to end the battle of wills between two brothers, bringing one of them solace and the other bitter sadness?

**PARAGRAPH**

_Rose, aged eighteen years old, was swelling with rage and hate as she observed the young man before her, a delighted smile crossing over his face as he observed her with mocking in his grey-green eyes. She gave a cry of fury and lunged at him, throwing him to the ground._

_Brody was not a fighter. Rose hit him again and again, not caring about the violence that simply erupted from her. She was overcome with hot rage that this sorcerer was destroying them._

_Then she went rocketing backwards and slammed into a wall. Her head smacked painfully against the stone and she swallowed blood. Brody clambered to his feet, his face scarlet with his own blood and one of his eyes puffy. He laughed shakily._

"_I guess I was wrong about you," he hissed, his voice cruel. Rose knew she'd made him mad by attacking him and her stomach free-fell. It wouldn't be her to suffer the consequences; of that she was certain. "You're not as smart as I thought. What happens next is your own fault, so you've got only one person to blame…"_

_Rose felt cold. "Brody, what are you going to do?"_

_He laughed darkly. "I told you I would let the others live if you complied. Because of your little display just then, Peter dies. You shouldn't have tried me."_

"_No, please." Rose suddenly found herself begging. For the young man she loved, anything. Tears were welling in her eyes and she couldn't believe she was crying again. "Anything but that. Brody, I will do anything…just please, let him live!"_

_Brody was smiling again. This was what always happened. He was in power, and then she attacked and found herself with only more to lose. She was sick and tired of grovelling at his feet and dreamed of a day when she might plunge a sword through his heart._

"_Too late, my dear. You've made your mistake, now you must suffer the consequences."_

"_Then take it out on me!" cried Rose, wiping furiously at her tears, "Do whatever you want to me, just don't harm Peter!"_

**PARAGRAPH**

Rose sat up, gasping for air. That memory made her shiver and her nightmares reminded her all too clearly that the Golden Age had not been entirely composed of happiness. There had been Brody, the sorcerer who had nearly ruined Rose's life. Then there had been Prince Reagan of Archenland, so charismatic and charming...yet he had ulterior motives the whole time.

She lay back, sighing heavily. It had only been a nightmare. Brody was long gone. He couldn't hurt them anymore. Just sometimes, it took some convincing for her to get that through her head.

**PARAGRAPH**

Prince Caspian wasn't what Rose had expected, and there was instant rivalry between him and Peter. Caspian was about eighteen, with tanned brown skin, brown eyes and dark brown hair. He was a Telmarine; it wasn't just the accent they could tell by.

Caspian's gaze turned on Rose. "I've heard of the Kings and Queens, so you must be Princess Rose." A smirk lingered on his lips as he gazed between her and Peter. "High King Peter's wife."

Peter flushed furiously, and Rose was quick to shake her head. She needed to set things straight right from the start.

"That was a long time ago. Not...not anymore."

Caspian shrugged and left the matter alone, but Rose still had to put up with Peter's filthy glare in her direction. She stared brazenly back at him, wondering what his problem was. What she'd said had been true and she'd be damned if she was going to let him pretend any different. The tension she thought had gone was rising once more...and it wasn't just between Peter and Caspian.

Maybe Rose was mistaken, but she thought she saw a slight smile of triumph on Edmund's lips once she had denied she was married to Peter still. Married...the word made Rose shudder. She had been an adult then, but she wasn't now. She was going to grow up again, and this time, the decisions she made might be different.

She talked with Lucy and Susan the whole time, still avoiding conversation with Peter. He seemed annoyed about her denial, and Edmund far too smug. She rolled her eyes behind their backs. _Boys._

**PARAGRAPH**

Aslan's How was underground, much to Rose's surprise. This had been the place where Aslan had sacrificed himself for Edmund's sake...yet now after over a thousand years, it was underground. Susan and Lucy had been deciding what they thought of Caspian. Rose thought he seemed nice enough, although she couldn't be certain because they had only just met him.

"Girls!" It was Edmund, his eyes wide with shock. "You'd better come quickly. There's an urgent meeting starting right now."

Apparently, a Telmarine soldier had been sighted in the forest. This was reason for concern – how had the Telmarines managed to get across the river? Discussions immediately commenced about what should be done.

"It's only a matter of time," Peter said, raising his voice so that everyone could hear him, "Miraz's men and armies are on their way. That means those same men aren't protecting his castle."

"What do you propose we do, your Majesty?" one of the centaurs asked.

"We need to get ready for it..."

"To start planning for..."

Peter and Caspian had both spoken at the same time. They looked daggers at each other, which slightly amused Rose. They were the same age and both used to holding high authority. This wasn't going to go well.

Peter frowned disapprovingly at Caspian. "Our only hope is to strike them before they strike us."

Caspian shook his head. "Crazy. No one has taken that castle."

"There's always a first time," Peter replied, overconfident as always.

"We'd have the element of surprise." Rose found herself forced to agree.

Peter offered her a small, assured smile. She ignored him. Now wasn't the time to focus on him.

"But we have the advantage here!" insisted Caspian.

"If we dig in, we could probably hold them off indefinitely," Susan piped up.

Peter shot his sister a filthy look as if she had just betrayed him by siding with Caspian. Susan averted her eyes.

"Look," Peter was beginning to sound exasperated, "I appreciate what you've done here, but this isn't a fortress. It's a tomb."

"Yes," Reepicheep, the leader of the warrior mice, agreed. "And if they're smart, the Telmarines will just wait and starve us out."

"We could collect nuts," a squirrel suggested unhelpfully.

"Yes, and throw them at the Telmarines!" Reepicheep responded sarcastically, "Shut up." He turned his attention on Peter. "I think you know where I stand, sire."

Satisfied, Peter turned to face the leader of the centaurs.

"If I get your troops in, can you handle the guards?"

The centaur looked hesitant, but he nodded. "Or die trying, my liege."

"That's what I'm worried about."

Peter turned to frown at Lucy, who was sitting on the cracked stone table where Aslan had given his life.

"Sorry?"

"You're all acting like there's only two options." To Rose, Lucy sounded mature beyond her thirteen years. "Dying here, or dying there."

"I'm not sure you've been listening..."

"No, _you're_ not listening," Lucy snapped at Peter, before her voice became lethally quiet, "Or have you forgotten who really defeated the White Witch, Peter?"

This was a blow to Peter's pride. His face hardened and his eyes blazed. Lucy was watching him carefully, but the High King simply drew himself up to full height.

"I think we've waited for Aslan long enough."

The discussion continued and Lucy deflated, upset that Peter had not taken her advice about seeking out Aslan. Rose moved over to her and put a comforting arm around the younger girl's shoulders.

After the meeting was over, Peter walked up to Rose and Lucy. There was a triumphant look about his face, but his blue eyes remained solemn.

"You can both stay here."

Rose's eyes flashed dangerously. "I don't think so, Peter. I know how to fight, as you well know."

"Lucy doesn't," Peter pointed out, "And she might want some company in the How."

"Oh, don't try the guilt trip on me," snapped Rose, folding her arms across her chest, "This was your idea, and you can take the blame for it. I'm going whether you like it or not."

Peter sighed, his resolve softening. "Rose, please. I only want you safe. You know how much you mean to me."

"Do I?" Rose half-laughed, "Since we got back from Narnia, you shunned me aside and ignored me. We were friends, but that's it there. Just friends. If you're ashamed of being with me, you should have thought of that before."

"I'm not," insisted Peter, "I'm in love with you, Rose. I still am. Things are different in England to here in Narnia. How can I deserve you if I'm not the best person I can be?"

Rose sighed, folding her arms, and Lucy discreetly slipped away into the background to talk to Reepicheep. He was trying to make her stay by proving how much he cared, but Rose knew that it was her duty to go and to fight – she wasn't a damsel in distress, and Peter knew that all too well.

"For a year, we were back from Narnia and you acted as though nothing had happened."

"Exactly!" exclaimed Peter, "Things don't just change suddenly. If you and I were suddenly together...well, people can't know about Narnia. They'd think we're crazy. What about Valentine's Day? I showed affection then."

_So did Edmund...once again. _

Just like the previous Valentine's Day, Peter had showered Rose with an expensive gift and beautiful card, but Edmund had just been simple about things. His letter had revealed more of his feelings this time, however:

_My heart breaks without you. I know you love him, I know I don't deserve you, but I don't know what to do. I'm always the one in the shadows, forced to watch on and fake a smile when I know the truth._

But what was the truth? Peter might still love Rose, but Rose wasn't sure if she loved Peter anymore. He was a wonderful young man, and he had very good qualities, but Rose sensed something had changed between them. She wasn't amazed that someone like Peter could love her anymore. She wasn't sure what she thought.

If she didn't feel the same way, did that make her a horrible person? Did that mean she was a selfish cow? She could think of plenty of other girls who would go out with Peter – she just wasn't one of them anymore.

Rose's feelings had been muddled since they'd returned to England. Now that they were in Narnia, she was certain of how she felt. Things weren't the same. She didn't love Peter anymore.


	12. Playing With Fire

**Chapter Eleven: Playing With Fire**

"Please, Peter."

Rose tailed the High King as preparations were made for the night raid on Miraz's castle. She was garbed in armour and her sword hung from its sheath at her hip as she attempted to catch Peter's attention.

"Rose, we've discussed this. You're staying here with Lu."

"Susan's going!" Rose snapped, "How is that fair?"

Peter whirled around to face her. "Susan is older than you are."

Rose clenched her jaw and folded her arms. "You are not my father."

Peter flinched as if he'd been slapped. He caught Rose's arms in his hands and drew her to him.

"No, you're right. But I care about you just as much as he did. What would he think if I endangered his daughter?"

Rose pulled away from him, shaking her head.

"This is stupid. I fought in the Battle of Beruna when I was fourteen. Peter, you won't regret letting me come, I swear. What will it take to convince you?"

Peter's blue eyes bored into her hazel ones. He saw the truth there, how strong his feelings for her really were. At one time, she had returned them. But now...well, things had changed. She didn't think she loved him anymore, although doubt still remained.

"Kiss me," he whispered.

Rose took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she pressed her lips to Peter's. He wrapped one powerful arm around her waist, pulling her closer. As she kissed him passionately, Rose felt her old feelings being resurrected, struggling to emerge. She wanted to love Peter...yet at the same time, she didn't.

Peter looked serious as they parted.

"I don't want you to come, Rose. But for that...I'm not stopping you."

**PARAGRAPH**

Rose and Edmund were the first dropped into Miraz's castle. Edmund was dropped onto a turret so that he could attract the attention of the others, while Rose managed to stealthily kill the two guards near in the courtyard. She paced as she watched another three gryphons soaring overheard, bringing Peter, Caspian and Susan with them. They followed the flash of Edmund's torch, bearing down upon the castle.

Rose was to keep guard in the courtyard, where Caspian, Peter and Susan would join her once soon enough. Tapping her foot with impatience, she wondered what was taking them so long. She noticed Edmund grappling with a Telmarine before the ringing of the bell turned her blood to ice. They were coming, but where were the Narnians?

"Now, Ed, now! Signal the troops!"

Peter was racing through to the courtyard, accompanied by Susan and Caspian. She frowned, wondering why they had taken so long – yet at the same time, Rose was filled with trepidation. The tolling of the bell could not be a good sign.

"I'm a bit busy, Pete!" Edmund replied from where he was duelling a Telmarine guard.

Peter started pushing at the wheel that operated the drawbridge, but Susan and Caspian weren't so keen to help. Rose stood where she was, wondering what was going on.

"Peter, it's too late," Susan called, hanging back with Rose and Caspian, "We have to call it off while we still can."

"No!" exclaimed Peter stubbornly, "I can still do this. Help me!"

Rose and Susan exchanged glances, dread on both their faces. What was Peter trying to prove? Reluctantly, Caspian and Susan ran over to assist Peter, and Rose heard Susan ask her brother, "Exactly who are you doing this for?"

Peter did not reply, but he shot Susan a look that made Rose think it would have been best to call this whole thing off while they still could.

Edmund had regained control of the situation and flashed the torch to alert the army. Rose waited in anticipation as the Telmarine soldiers flooded out in the courtyard, and the others noticed the same thing.

"For Narnia, and for Aslan!"

Drawing their weapons, Caspian, Susan and Peter rushed to aid Rose in what was fast becoming an epic battle. The army soon filed into the courtyard victoriously, but Rose was left wondering if they would still pull this off. Something was wrong.

She slashed at the Telmarines with her sword, but glanced up in horror as a group of archers took positions around the courtyard, their crossbows pointed at the scene rapidly unfolding below. Her eyes widened as she realised that this was a battle they could not win.

Peter seemed to realise the same thing, and relented his pride enough to shout, "Fall back!"

The message was spread through the ranks of the army, but Rose ran up to Peter with worry in her eyes. "What about Edmund?"

Peter glanced away from her. "Ed can take care of himself. He'll be fine."

Rose wasn't so sure, but she didn't want to argue with Peter. Those words reminded her so much of what Edmund had said about Peter during the Battle of Beruna. Susan had already left, but Peter was waiting for Caspian. He noticed Rose still there.

"What are you doing? Get out of here, Rose?"

Rose shook her head stubbornly. "I'm not leaving without Edmund!"

Something sparked in Peter's eyes, something that looked a bit like jealousy, before he shook his head and sighed. He grabbed her wrist and drew her to him. Rose struggled in his grasp, but it was like iron.

"Let me go, Peter!"

She pushed against him with her free hand.

"Rose..."

She managed to yank her wrist free and she glowered at Peter.

"I'm going to find him!" Rose cried passionately, "And you can't stop me!"

Without another word, she ran towards the entrance to the palace, but Miraz noticed this and wasn't so pleased. He knew of the legends of this brunette girl. She was more of a danger than the dark-haired minx of a Queen who had infiltrated his chambers with her golden-haired brother. He pointed at Rose.

"Shoot her down."

Edmund, up on the roof, saw the archers take aim at Rose. Horrified, he knew he had to take action. He clambered up and slid down the tiles to kick one of the archers over the edge. Seeing him, Rose grinned in relief.

"Go!"

Remembering herself, Rose gave Edmund one last pleading glance before she fled towards the gate. Peter and Caspian came after her, and they only just made it before Asterius, the elderly Minotaur holding it up, was shot down and the gate closed with a thud of finality.

Rose looked back to see half of the army still inside, calling bravely for their comrades to leave. Tears pricked in her eyes, but then she saw Peter holding out his hand and he helped her onto his horse.

"Peter, the bridge!" Reepicheep cried.

With despair in his blue eyes, Peter urged the horse towards the drawbridge, and it only just managed to clear the gap. The feeling of loss etched deep within their hearts, the Narnian army continued back to the How.

**PARAGRAPH**

Their arrival the next morning was not a triumphant one. Lucy ran out of the How, accompanied by the others who'd stayed. She gasped as she saw that only half of the army had returned, and glanced at Peter's bitter face.

"What happened?" she asked quietly.

Peter jerked his head towards Caspian. "Ask him."

"Peter..." began Susan.

"Me?" replied Caspian. "You could have called it off. There was still time."

Peter shook his head slowly. "No, there wasn't, thanks to you. If you kept to the plan, those soldiers might still be alive."

Caspian was growing angry. "If you'd stayed here like I suggested, they definitely would be!"

Peter glowered at his rival. Rose could see a potential fight to break out and she wasn't sure that it would end well.

"You called us, remember?" Peter barked at him.

"My first mistake," Caspian replied.

Peter shook his head. "No. Your first mistake was thinking you could lead these people."

Caspian's lips had drawn back into a snarl. "I am not the one who abandoned Narnia."

Peter moved forward, jabbing an accusing finger at him.

"You _invaded_ Narnia," he snapped, "You have no more right to it than Miraz does."

Enraged, Caspian shoved past Peter and started marching off towards the How.

"You, him, your father...Narnia's better off without the lot of you."

Caspian whirled around, his expression one of fury as he drew his sword. Peter did the same and Rose stepped between them quickly to make sure that this didn't end in violence.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves," she spat at the pair of them, "Many Narnians just died because they believed in you. Now we fight amongst ourselves! You should both know better."

Peter was the first to lower his sword. He cast his eyes down, clearly feeling guilty that Rose had scolded him. She turned to glare at Caspian and he sighed heavily and sheathed his sword.

Rose watched as Caspian stormed off into the How and then she turned to face Peter. Lucy rushed past her to administer healing cordial to those who were badly injured. Rose planted her hands on her hips.

"Peter, you should have known better. Caspian made his mistakes, but you did, too. Those Narnians should have died for a reason. Instead, they died for Caspian's foolishness and your pride."

**PARAGRAPH**

Rose wanted to talk to Caspian. She wanted to tell him that Peter hadn't meant all those things he'd said, but it was Edmund who came to see her. She couldn't say she wasn't pleased to see him. She grinned as she ran up to him.

"Ed!" She flung her arms around him and Edmund laughed unsteadily.

"What's this all about?" he asked.

"I'm just...I don't know, so glad that you're alright. I didn't see what happened until you caught up..." Rose wasn't quite sure how to put it.

Edmund smiled. "Oh. Well, thanks. For your concern, I mean, not..."

He flushed deeply for reasons she couldn't fathom. Rose sighed heavily as she watched Caspian striding across the How. He still looked angry.

"Caspian and Peter don't get along, do they?"

Edmund's smile widened in a wolfish grin. "In a fight I think I'd go for Caspian."

Rose's grin faded. "You're not angry at Peter, are you?"

Edmund shrugged, but didn't quite meet his friend's eyes. It wasn't really anger...more jealous. He had seen Rose and Peter kiss before the night raid and his heart had broken once again. Peter had made his move.

"No. Why should I be?"

"It's just..."

Peter came across them before Rose got a chance to say anymore. He stopped dead in front of them, glancing between the two of them. He didn't look happy. His eyes were narrowed almost suspiciously.

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?"

"Yes," retorted Edmund a bit forcefully.

"No," replied Rose at the same time.

"Oh," Edmund glanced at Rose, a vicious note entering his voice, "In that case...I was just leaving anyway."

He left, and Rose sighed deeply. Peter examined her intently.

"Are you alright?"

Rose nodded a little uncertainly. "I suppose."

Edmund ran back across to them before either of them could say anymore. At first, Rose thought he might be about to say something cutting, but then she saw the serious look in his eyes and knew otherwise.

"You'd better come quickly. Bring your weapons, it's urgent!"


	13. I've Been Watching, I've Been Waiting

**Chapter Twelve: I've Been Watching, I've Been Waiting**

The situation was already out of hand by the time Rose, Peter, Edmund, Trumpkin and Lucy arrived. The White Witch was glancing malevolently at them from inside a sheet of ice, and a werewolf, a hag and Nikabrik the dwarf all stood around her. Caspian had his back turned and was facing the witch, entranced.

The werewolf leapt at Edmund, but Rose slashed at him with her sword. He howled in rage and raked his claws across her face. The girl cried out in pain and stumbled. Someone caught her around the waist, stopped her from falling. She twisted around, expecting to see Peter but saw Edmund there instead. He smiled ever so slightly, before he released her just as suddenly and attacked the werewolf.

Rose could taste blood on her lip, and saw Nikabrik seize Lucy's dagger and advance on the young girl. Rose dived, catching Lucy and they both crashed to the floor, glancing up just as Trumpkin stabbed Nikabrik. Feeling sore and bruised, Rose staggered to her feet and picked up her sword. Always on the move.

Edmund ran up the steps and jumped, slashing the werewolf down almost effortlessly. Peter had killed the hag, and now rushed towards Caspian, pushing him away from the White Witch.

"Stay away from him."

The witch moved back to examine Peter, a menacing smile on her face. There was fire in Peter's blue eyes as the White Witch observed him.

"Peter, dear. I've missed you."

Peter stood there, unmoving. Rose wanted to shout at him, convince him to act...except she felt as though she was frozen in trepidation. Perhaps that was how Peter felt as well.

"Come, just one drop. You know you can't do this alone."

Her words were slow and soft, and Rose could see Peter was relenting, much to her horror. She was holding out her hand and Rose could almost see the cogs ticking in Peter's head. What was he thinking? Why hadn't he killed her already? Her heart was racing.

"Peter!" she called desperately, but Peter wasn't listening. He was considering, thinking – and then he lowered his sword.

Something plunged into the witch from behind, a sword. The ice began cracking, and the witch threw her head back as the ice seemed to explode, shattering into pieces all across the room. Peter and Caspian were forced to their knees to avoid the ice, while Rose threw herself in the opposite direction, skidding painfully across the stone floor.

Susan ran in just as Edmund was revealed, standing behind where the ice had been, his sword still raised. He was panting with exertion and he threw Peter a disdainful glance as his older brother looked towards her.

"I know. You had it sorted."

He walked away without another word. Caspian threw Susan a pleading glance, but she shook her head in disgust at Caspian and Peter, before walking off herself. To be honest, Rose couldn't blame her. She felt exactly the same way.

Peter turned to Rose, who was shaking her head in disbelief. Peter had nearly turned himself in to the witch's dark powers...how could he? Both him and Caspian! Peter knew what the White Witch had done in the past, yet he had nearly surrendered to her.

She sighed and shook her head.

"I don't believe it, Peter. I didn't think you, of all people..."

"Rose..."

Peter reached for her, attempting to grasp her hand. She whirled around to face him, pulling her hand from his grasp. Hurt flashed through his blue eyes, but right now, she didn't care.

"Don't touch me!"

Rose turned on her heel and stalked away. Edmund was sitting nearby with his head in his hands, brooding. Right now, she was on his side, so she moved over and sat down beside him with a tight smile.

"It's all too much sometimes, isn't it?" Rose said sympathetically, "Trust me, I know."

"I just can't believe Peter," Edmund's voice was hollow, "Doesn't he remember what that woman _did_? How could he even think about unleashing her again?"

Rose was wondering the same thing. She sighed heavily, trying not to think about Peter. She had kissed him and she knew he still loved her...except she didn't love him. That little display had just confirmed what had been fighting inside her: her feelings for Peter had changed.

"I don't really know, to be honest. Caspian's the same. Much as they fight, they're very alike. I just wish that Peter could have your maturity sometimes."

Edmund looked sharply across at her.

"You wish...that...Peter was like me?"

Rose shrugged. "It's complicated. I have to admit the first time we went into Narnia, I felt hurt because of your greed, because of how you betrayed us...and what Peter doesn't realize is that he nearly did the same just then."

Edmund reached across and tucked a strand of hair behind Rose's ear. She closed her eyes, but didn't try and stop him. He was shocked to see tears spilling from beneath her closed eyelids.

"What if he had let her out?" Rose whispered, her eyes snapping open, "He's so stupid...she would have killed us all..."

"Don't even think about it," Edmund suggested in a murmur.

He was leaning closer to Rose, his face inches from hers. She could tell what was coming...and she made no attempt to stop it. Edmund's lips brushed against hers, gently. Then he gave in to the things he'd felt for so many years and he took her face in his hands and kissed her fiercely.

Rose felt that couldn't pull away. Kissing Edmund was addictive. She should have pushed him away...but instead she was pulling him closer. He moaned into her mouth as she kissed him more passionately, not understanding herself.

Then all the memories came flooding back and she gasped and pressed her hands over her head.

_Rose pushed Edmund back until he hit the wall. It changed from something tentative and almost shy into something wild and uncontrollable. Before he knew what was happening, his tongue was in her mouth and he was running his hands up her back. He felt as though he was drowning in this feeling. He just couldn't let go. He couldn't get out…but he didn't want to._

"_Rose," he whispered, his voice husky. Why was it so hard to concentrate when she was running her hands down his arms. When her hands met his, he grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her around so that their positions were reversed, so that she was pressed against the wall. She leaned forward to kiss him again, but he held her back._

"_Rose. No. We can't."_

Rose winced as the memories bombarded her. She was older in them, nineteen at least...they were definitely of the Golden Age. Yet she hadn't ever been able to remember them before. What was happening to her?

"_Go ahead and cry," Edmund told Rose ruthlessly, "I actually thought I was special, you know. That you really had stopped loving Peter and you cared about me. Clearly Lionel's a better man than I am – because unlike me, he could push you away. Did you tell him the same things that you told me?"_

_The tears were streaming down her cheeks now, blurring the vision of her friend's face, full of anger and distaste. Why didn't he believe her? Normally Edmund would have comforted Rose when she was crying…but now he just stood there and watched, knowing he was responsible for it. For the first time, he didn't care._

"_You've broken too many hearts already, Rose," Edmund hissed at her, "Go back to Peter. Kiss him, make love to him, bear his child…I don't care anymore. I am sick of being used by you whenever you've got no one else to turn to. I won't betray my brother for you."_

Edmund was watching Rose with a shocked look on his face. Rose wound her fingers through her hair and gritted her teeth, unable to take these memories that were suddenly being hammered into her.

"Make it stop, please, make it stop..."

"_I'm sorry for all the things I said." Edmund sounded guilty and he wouldn't meet Rose's eyes. "I was jealous. Do you think you could ever forgive me?" _

_He hoped that Rose couldn't hear the apprehension in his voice. He felt like a traitor. What he planned to do to her was unforgivable. Rose was smiling now, glad that she and Edmund weren't fighting anymore. She threw her arms around her neck and hugged him so hard that she accidentally propelled them both into his room._

"_I wasn't lying, Ed. I do love you."_

"_I know," he replied, leaning in and kissing her on the lips. She ran his hands through his hair and he trailed down her slender neck. Edmund knew that this was wrong, but what he was going to do was even worse. _

_Edmund hoisted Rose up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her across to the bed, where kissing quickly turned into something more...something that, there was no doubt about it, would have them killed if Peter knew._

"Rose?" Edmund's voice sounded so far away. He gripped her by the shoulders, shaking her. "Rose, what's the matter?"

Rose couldn't believe what she was seeing. Everything just kept going from bad to worse. This couldn't be possible. She had been completely in love with Peter during the Golden Age. She never would have betrayed him like that. The things she and Edmund had done...

"_Edmund?" Rose's voice was full of trepidation, "What are you doing?"_

_He closed the door behind them and suddenly she was filled with foreboding as a man in his late twenties crossed the room towards them, bowing stiffly to Edmund. Rose could tell by instinct that he was a sorcerer._

"_I love you, Rose," Edmund sounded desperate, "I really do. But this would kill Peter if he knew. Last night was the best night of my life...but it was also the most horrible mistake I've ever made."_

_Rose's eyes were filling up with tears. "What are you saying?"_

"_This can't continue." Edmund's tone was impassive. "I tried so hard to be loyal to Peter...but then last night...Rose, this ends now."_

_The sorcerer moved closer and Edmund took Rose's arm in a vice-like grip. Suddenly, she became aware that this wasn't just them ending their affair. Something much darker was about to happen._

"_What do you want me to take?" the sorcerer asked._

_Edmund's eyes were full of pain. "The love she has for me, the times we kissed, last night...everything to do with us."_

_Rose realized what was about to happen then. The sorcerer was going to take away her love for Edmund, her memories...and Edmund was going to let him. She started breathing faster and struggled, but Edmund's grip was strong. She kicked at him, but he only shifted his grip so that he had one arm wrapped tight around her waist._

"_I'm so sorry, Rose." He sounded like he might cry. "I never wanted it to come to this."_

_Rose screamed in frustration and burst into tears as she struggled against Edmund, thumping her small fists on his hard chest. It didn't matter what she did...she could not escape._

"You," she whispered, jerking away from Edmund, "You took my memories away from me. I loved you before...except you made that sorcerer make me forget."

Edmund looked pained. "Rose, you don't understand. We were so close to our demise. If Peter had discovered what had happened..."

"You made me _forget_!" cried Rose.

"I'm sorry," Edmund replied in despair, "Please...that's the past now. I had no idea that you would remember. The question isn't what has happened. It's what we're going to do now."

"I don't want to hurt Peter," Rose said instinctively, turning her head. It was stupid, because in the Golden Age, she clearly hadn't cared. She'd had an affair with Edmund despite the fact that it would have killed Peter inside had he known. How could she have been so callous? "I know he loves me..."

"So do I!" insisted Edmund, "Rose, I'd do anything for you...I'd die for you..."

Rose pressed a finger to Edmund's lips. She was still hurt by his betrayal, but willing to forgive him. She could see the reason why he'd done it and it had been a long time ago.

"Don't say that."

"It's the truth. I always have. But I know that you and Peter..."

"Me and Peter?" Rose was puzzled, "You think that we're still...?"

Edmund nodded, his cheeks burning bright red.

Rose shook her head. "No. We're just friends now. Surely you noticed that?"

Edmund frowned. "I thought...I saw you kiss him."

"I said I didn't want to hurt him. I didn't say I loved him back." Rose sighed heavily. "That kiss...it's complicated. He said that I could go on the night raid if I kissed him. I don't know why."

Edmund could feel the hope welling inside him. "So...do you love me?"

Rose shrugged. "I'm not sure. I'm so confused."

Edmund leaned in and kissed Rose again, and this time he dared a little more, deepened the kiss a little. Rose found herself kissing him back, and realised the truth...she loved Edmund now...

"I don't believe it."

They pulled apart to see Peter standing there, looking horrified. His gaze was fixed solely on Rose. He had nearly betrayed them by freeing the White Witch...and now she had betrayed him by kissing Edmund in front of him.

"You...you love Edmund? To think I trusted both of you..."

He shook his head in disgust and turned to walk off. Rose turned to Edmund with pain in her eyes.

"This is exactly what I didn't want to happen."


	14. I Must Not Chase The Boys

**Chapter Thirteen: I Must Not Chase The Boys**

Rose was riddled with guilt. She hadn't told Peter the truth since they'd returned to Narnia, and she wished she could have let him down a little easier. Anything would have been better than him walking in on her kissing Edmund. Of course, she hadn't exactly been speaking that much with Edmund, either. Things had been very hectic, what with planning what should be done with the Telmarine situation.

Eventually, Caspian had told them that if Peter challenged Miraz to single combat, he would most likely accept the challenge. Edmund and Rose were sent to give Miraz their conditions under the white flag.

Rose wasn't happy about this at all, but she stood beside Edmund, garbed all in armour and with her arms folded across her chest as she listened to him read off the scroll.

"I, Peter, by the gift of Aslan, by election and by conquest, High King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel and Emperor of the Lone Islands, in order to prevent the abominable effusion of blood, do hereby challenge the usurper Miraz to single combat upon the field of battle. The fight shall be to the death. The reward shall be total surrender."

Rose's head snapped up as Edmund started rolling up the scroll. The fight was to the death? She really hoped that Peter knew what he was doing.

"Tell me, Prince Edmund..." began Miraz.

"King," Edmund corrected.

Miraz raised his eyebrows. "Pardon?"

"It's King Edmund, actually. Just 'king' though. Peter's the High King. I know, it's confusing."

Rose found herself trying to hide a smile. Miraz didn't seem to care.

"Why would risk such a proposal when our army could wipe you out by nightfall?"

Edmund did not look deterred. "Haven't you already underestimated our numbers? Only a week ago, Narnians were extinct."

Miraz nodded. "And so you will be again."

Edmund lifted his chin. "Then you should have little to fear."

Miraz threw back his head and laughed. "This is not a question of bravery."

Rose begged to differ, but she said nothing at all. In fact, she couldn't quite understand why she'd been sent along with Edmund in the first place.

Edmund smirked. "So you're bravely refusing to fight a swordsman half your age?"

The laughter died in Miraz's eyes and the smile dropped from his face.

"I didn't say I refused," he replied.

One of the Telmarine lords spoke up. "You shall have our support, your Majesty, whatever your decision."

Another lord, sitting right beside Miraz, also voiced his opinion.

"Sire, our military advantage alone allows us the perfect excuse to avoid..."

Miraz's eyes flashed dangerously and he stood to his feet, drawing his sword. Rose observed this carefully. Clearly, there was tension between Miraz and his lords.

"I am not avoiding anything!"

The lord who had spoken threw up his hands.

"I am merely pointing out that my lord is well within his rights to refuse."

"His Majesty would never refuse." Rose turned to look at a hard-faced Telmarine soldier standing behind her and Edmund. "He relishes the chance to show his people the bravery of their new king."

"You." Miraz pointed his sword at Edmund. "You should hope your brother's sword is sharper than his pen."

Edmund didn't seem threatened. On the contrary, a smile crossed his face and he inclined his head to Miraz and the lords, before he and Rose set off towards the How. Rose sighed heavily.

"Well, I don't see why I had to accompany you."

Edmund grinned wickedly. "Decoration purposes."

Rose nudged him, smiling as well.

**PARAGRAPH**

As Peter was getting ready for his battle against Miraz, Rose decided this would be the best chance to see him. She didn't know how things were going to go on the battlefield later on. She crossed the room and started helping him fasten his breastplate.

"Peter, about earlier..."

"I don't want to hear it." His voice was cold and would allow no objections. He refused to look at her, and this hurt Rose. She fixed up his chainmail as he stood there, completely immobile.

"You're going to fight Miraz. I just need you to know..."

"What, that you're in love with Edmund?" he jeered, whirling around to face her with anger in his blue eyes, "I know. I saw you both earlier. Though it would be nice if you'd told me sooner."

"What do you expect?" cried Rose, firing up, "You give me the cold shoulder for a year, and now we're back in Narnia, you expect nothing to have changed? Edmund's always been my best friend, but now I love him. I love you as a friend, Peter, nothing more."

He put down his helmet and advanced on her. Rose stood her ground, refusing to let him intimidate her. The High King may be able to scare others, but not her. She tilted her chin defiantly.

"You married me when you only loved me as a friend?"

She shook her head with a sad sigh. "It was different then. Things change over time."

Peter nodded, seeming to relent. He pulled up his helmet. He didn't look enraged anymore...just sad. Rose was, too. Sad that the Peter phase of her life had passed her by. It had been a good one – but she just didn't love him anymore.

"I know. But I still love you, even if you have broken my heart."

Rose glanced at him in disbelief. "It's not always about you, Peter. Just because you're the oldest, the High King...it doesn't mean you get it all."

**PARAGRAPH**

Peter marched out to battle with Edmund by his side. Rose lingered behind, not wanting to cause any trouble. Once Peter and Miraz marched into the field, Miraz noticed just how young the boy he was fighting was. No older than eighteen. This surprised him, as did the intensity of the Narnians' cheers.

Peter was accompanied by his younger brother, the boy who had delivered the message to Miraz – and the girl, probably the same age as King Edmund. Miraz knew better than to underestimate her, though – this was Lady Rose, Protector of Narnia.

Miraz stepped forward and the two began circling each other.

"There is still time to surrender," he told the High King.

Peter glowered. "Well, feel free."

"How many more must die for the throne?" Miraz sounded confident of his victory already.

"Just one." Peter pulled his helmet down.

The fight began, and everyone watched in nervous anticipation as the duel between the High King and the tyrant grew more and more fierce. Caspian returned with Susan, and Peter took a respite, clearly exhausted.

"Lucy?" Peter asked of Susan as she and Caspian rode up.

"She got through, with a little help." She indicated Caspian, who Peter turned his attention to.

"Thanks." He said the word almost reluctantly.

"Well, you are busy," Caspian replied coolly.

Peter looked up at the How, where the archers waited on the edge, and then glanced across at his sister.

"Better get up there, just in case. I don't expect the Telmarines will keep their word."

Susan moved in to hug Peter. He winced, clearly bruised and battered from the duel.

"Sorry," Susan muttered as she released him.

"It's alright."

"Take care," Susan warned as she moved towards the archer's post.

Edmund looked at the crowd and then looked at Peter.

"Keep smiling," he mumbled.

Peter forced a huge smile and raised his sword triumphantly. The Narnians cheered wildly. He turned away, grimacing as he sat down, holding his shoulder. Edmund moved closer to take a look at it.

"I think it's dislocated."

He sat in brooding silence for a little while.

"What do you think happens back home, if you die here?" He turned to glance meaningfully at Edmund, "You know you were always there for me, and I never..."

Peter groaned in pain as Edmund relocated his shoulder, and even Caspian grimaced.

"Save it for later," Edmund told him.

Peter got up and glanced at Rose, the girl he'd always loved. Would he lose her, would he lose everything? Before she could say anything, he grabbed her by the arm, pulled her forward and kissed her on the lips.

Miraz noticed this and chuckled.

"It seems that the High King is a bit of a romantic."

Edmund rolled his eyes pointedly as they broke apart. Once it might have hurt him to watch Peter kiss Rose, but now he was assured of Rose's love for him, he knew that it was all on Peter's part.

"Show off."

As Peter marched back into battle and Rose gazed desperately after him, Edmund put his arm around her shoulders.

"He'll be fine, Rose."

"Can you promise me that?"

Edmund wasn't so sure, but the battle ended in Miraz's downfall, with him kneeling and Peter's sword pointed towards his head.

"What's the matter, boy?" Miraz demanded, looking up at the young man, "Too cowardly to take a life?"

Peter glared at him intensely. "It's not mine to take."

He handed the sword to Caspian, who moved forward to glance down at his uncle with pure and utter loathing. Rose pressed her hands to her mouth, wondering what was going to happen. Surely Caspian would take this chance to kill his uncle?

"Maybe I was wrong," muttered Miraz, "Perhaps you do have the making of a Telmarine king."

With a battle cry, Caspian plunged the sword...into the ground. He glared across at Miraz, who was looking at him with surprise – as was everyone else. Telmarines and Narnians alike had gone silent.

"Not one like you," Caspian spat.

Miraz looked quite relieved.

"Keep your life," continued Caspian, "But I am giving the Narnians back their freedom."


	15. Only The Beginning Of Us

**Chapter Fourteen: Only The Beginning Of Us**

**A/N: I'm still not good with battle scenes...sorry.**

The Narnians were accused of treachery when someone shot Miraz in the back with an arrow, killing him. They moved into battle formation, knowing that their small numbers couldn't defeat the Telmarines.

The Telmarines started firing with their trebuchets, but Edmund, Peter and Rose stood firm, waiting for Caspian to make his move. The huge stones landed near them, rocking the very foundation of the ground on which they stood. Rose rocked back, turning her head to avoid the dirt that sprayed up after a particularly close encounter.

Peter counted slowly to ten, after which the ground literally gave way beneath the Telmarine cavalry. The horses screamed and the Telmarines shouted in shock. The Narnian archers released their arrows, which whizzed through the air and struck down the dazed Telmarines.

Edmund leapt onto a horse, drawing his crossbow as he rode towards the remains of the Telmarine cavalry, towards the soldiers struggling to get to their feet. The infantry soon moved in towards them, and Edmund, Rose and Peter (who'd been eliminating the cavalry) decided it would be best to fall back to the How.

This proved a doomed effort when a trebuchet cut off their escape, sending rocks crashing down in front of the How. Realising their only chance was to fight, Peter stood ready to lead again. Edmund dropped his crossbow and drew his sword, and Rose stood on Edmund's other side, smiling grimly at Peter.

"Are you ready for this?" Rose asked the others as Susan and Caspian joined them.

The expression on Edmund's face was solemn, but his eyes were glimmering.

"For Narnia, and for Aslan."

They ran towards the infantry, weapons drawn and battle cries issuing from their mouths. Rose slashed at the Telmarines, a formidable warrior in her own right, but she was too late to stop the blow to her stomach. She cried out in pain and pressed a hand to her torso, blood beginning to drizzle through her fingers.

"ROSE!" Edmund yelled.

Peter whirled around to see that the Princess had fallen, and he ran towards her as fast as he could. Edmund was there before him, examining Rose who lay barely conscious on the ground.

"Rose, don't give up," he said desperately, "You can make it..."

Edmund stayed with Rose, but Peter was forced to rejoin the ranks, and after some fight, it was evident that Aslan was here to help again. Trees moved in to battle, and the Telmarines were so shocked that they fled for the river. Again, Aslan was there and cut off their escape, and the Telmarines were soon forced to hand over their weapons.

Edmund carried the motionless body of Rose Finley up towards Aslan. Gasping, Lucy fumbled to undo the lid of her cordial and poured a drop on Rose's lips. After a few moments, Rose woke up coughing, and Edmund was so pleased that he kissed her passionately.

"Calm down, Ed," laughed Susan, "She's just recovered, you know."

**PARAGRAPH**

The celebrations were quite wild and fireworks lit up the night sky as Rose looked up, her eyes widening and a brilliant smile crossing her face. Of course, liquor was a primary part of the festivities, and the main culprits of drinking were in fact Edmund, Peter and Caspian.

"Shame on you all," Rose grinned, folding her arms and shaking her head, "You should all be disgusted at yourselves for appearing in such an unseemly manner."

Peter and Caspian could hold their drinks well and were therefore only slightly drunk. Edmund, however, was having a little more trouble with his coordination. Rose had to laugh as he stumbled around.

"Idiot," she chastised him fondly, leaning forward to affectionately ruffle his dark hair, "You're only fifteen. You're not used to alcohol."

Edmund winked at her. "I'm used to women, though." He leaned forward and tried to kiss her, but Rose jumped nimbly out of his reach.

"Cut it out," she laughed, "I'm not kissing a drunkard, thank you very much."

She turned to face Peter, raising her eyebrows.

"You know this is all your fault. You shouldn't be letting your little brother drink."

"He's fine," Peter waved a hand carelessly, "A little bit of alcohol never hurt anyone. Besides, think of it as getting him ready for it. Once he turns eighteen, he'll probably be down at the pub the first chance he gets."

Rose wrinkled her nose. "I don't understand how you boys can even stomach the taste of beer. It's disgusting."

"It's an acquired taste," Peter teased, "You're just not old enough to appreciate it."

Rose was actually glad that he was in such a fine mood. She had hoped that he wouldn't brood because she had chosen Edmund – and perhaps it was just the alcohol, but Peter certainly wasn't brooding now. She dearly wanted it to stay this way. She would like to be friends with Peter despite what they'd been through.

"Did you know..." Susan had joined in the conversation. She told them about a time when she had caught Peter in a very awkward situation and by the end of it, they were all roaring with laughter. Rose was wiping tears of mirth from her eyes as she turned to look at Peter, who had turned red.

"Is that actually _true_?"

Peter shrugged and then smiled wickedly at Susan.

"There are plenty of stories I could tell about my dear sister and her 'conquests'."

Susan clapped her hands to her mouth. "You wouldn't!"

Lucy shook her head vigorously. "Please _don't_. I'm too young to want to know about this sort of thing. I still find it weird when Rose and Ed kiss!"

Peter shrugged good-naturedly and left the matter alone – for the next few hours, at least. Their last night was a joyful one, and Rose could distinctly remember practically all of it, over the light buzz of alcohol.

By two o'clock, Trumpkin was snoring quietly in a corner, while Lucy giggled and pointed. Peter and Edmund were leading a rowdy chorus of '99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall' – only their version consisted of a million bottles of beer on the wall. Rose couldn't remember how many bottles they'd counted down before Susan finally managed to shut them up. In fact, Rose didn't even remember how Susan had accomplished such a feat. She thought it had something to do with numerous threats and whacking Peter over the head with something solid.

By four o'clock, most of the men were snoring away at the table. Caspian had politely excused himself a little earlier, not wanting to suffer the embarrassment of waking up sprawled on a chair. Peter and Edmund were two of those who would be suffering the aforementioned embarrassment.

The last thing Rose remembered was lying out on one of the balconies with Susan and Lucy, giggling and talking in meaningful whispers as if people were actually sober enough to eavesdrop on them. She remembered the Narnian stars, shining bright overhead...and then sleep must have overcome her.

**PARAGRAPH**

The Telmarines and Narnians had gathered outside the castle bright and early in the morning. Susan and Peter had been summoned by Aslan for reasons Rose didn't understand. Edmund was rubbing ruefully at his head, clearly suffering a hangover. Rose offered him a bright smile.

"How are we feeling?" she asked smugly.

Edmund groaned and didn't reply.

They all reached the gathering, situated around a huge tree. By the time everyone had settled down, Caspian spoke.

"Narnia belongs to the Narnians just as it does to man. Any Telmarines who want to stay and live in peace are welcome to. And for any of you who wish, Aslan will return you to the home of our forefathers."

"It has been generations since we left Telmar," one Telmarine lord protested.

"We are not referring to Telmar," Aslan explained, "Your ancestors were sea-faring brigands, pirates run aground on an island. There they found a cave, a rare chasm that brought them here from their world, the same world as our Kings and Queens."

Aslan looked meaningfully over at the Pevensies.

"It is to that island I can return you. It is a good place for any who wish to make a new start."

There was a pause as the Telmarines muttered amongst themselves, clearly wondering if this was a good idea.

"I'll go. I will accept the offer."

General Glozelle, former commander of Miraz's military forces, stepped forward. So did Miraz's wife, holding her newborn child and accompanied by another Telmarine lord.

"So will we."

Aslan watched them as they approached him.

"Because you have spoken first, your future in that world will be good."

Aslan turned to breathe upon the tree, which twisted to form a round opening. The volunteers moved through – and seemed to disappear into thin air. Everyone in the crowd gasped simultaneously.

"How do we know he is not leading us to our deaths?" demanded one bold Telmarine.

Reepicheep wanted to prove his loyalty by going through, but Aslan glanced meaningfully at the Pevensies and Rose, and they knew that it was their time to go home.

"We'll go," offered Peter.

"We will?" Edmund sounded taken aback.

"Come on. Our time's up. After all, we're not really needed here anymore."

Peter walked over to Caspian and offered his sword to him. The new King of Narnia smiled.

He handed his sword to Caspian, who smiled.

"I will look after it until your return."

"That's just it," Peter sighed, "We're not coming back."

"We're not?" Lucy sounded devastated.

Peter glanced across at Rose, Edmund and Lucy. There was a look of sadness in his eyes and Rose pitied him. What would it be like to know that he could never come back to this beautiful place? Narnia was where the five of them had discovered themselves, what they were destined to be. Peter had been High King here. How much he was going to lose!

"You three are. Or at least, I think he means you three."

"Have they done something wrong?" Lucy asked Aslan.

"Quite the opposite, dear one," Aslan soothed, "But all things have their time. Your brother and sister have learned what they can from this world. Now it's time for them to live in their own."

"It's alright, Lu," Peter told her, "It's not how I thought it would be, but it's alright. One day, you'll see, too. Come on."

The Pevensies and Rose said goodbye to their newfound friends. For the younger ones, it was easier. They would be coming back here, someday. For Peter and Susan it must have been so much harder.

Susan moved tentatively towards Caspian, a coy look on her face.

"I'm glad I came back," she admitted.

"I wish we had more time together," Caspian replied, sounding wistful.

"It would never have worked anyway," Susan sighed.

"Why not?" Caspian sounded surprised.

A wry smile came over Susan's face. "I am 1300 years older than you."

She turned to walk away, straightening her shoulders, but then she whirled back and moved over to Caspian and kissed him passionately.

Lucy whispered, "I think when I'm older I'll understand."

Edmund grinned and caught Rose's eye. "I'm older and I don't think I want to understand."

They all moved through the hole in the tree, Peter and Susan glancing behind them at a world they would never see again, trying to catch a last glimpse...before they found themselves back in their school uniforms at the train station.

Edmund started fumbling through his bag, searching for something. He looked across at the others, frowning.

"Do you think there's any way we could get back?"

The others stared at him.

"I've left my new torch in Narnia!"

The Pevensies and Rose couldn't help but laugh at this. As the train doors closed and the train lurched to a start, Rose noticed that Peter was quiet. She placed a hand on his arm, her eyes searching him.

"Are you alright?"

Peter ruminated on the fact that Rose and Edmund were now together. Sure, he still loved Rose, and he envied Edmund, but he wasn't going to dislike them because of that. He hoped his love for Rose would dissipate over time, but he wasn't sure.

That wasn't it, though. He was sad that he would never again get to go to Narnia. How many battles he'd fought as the High King, all the accomplishments he'd made...yet now he was stuck in the real world.

Peter shrugged. "I'll be fine."

Rose licked her lips and nodded, removing her hand from his arm and moving over to talk to Edmund. Peter walked over towards a blonde girl about Susan's age who he knew from school. She was apparently going to St Finnbar's this year as well.

"Hey, Alyssa. How were your holidays?"

The girl, Alyssa, seemed to realise Peter was flirting with her. She smiled – well, it _was _Peter Pevensie.

"Aren't you like, with Rose?"

She had seen them just before, Rose resting her hand on Peter's arm and talking to him in an intimate manner. They both glanced at where Edmund and Rose were chatting animatedly as if only their little world existed.

"No, she's with Edmund."

"In that case," continued Alyssa slowly, "My holidays were good. How about yours?"

Peter grinned. "Mine were great."


	16. I'm Not Over You

**Chapter Fifteen: I'm Not Over You**

St Finnbar's, the girls' boarding school, and Hendon House, the boys' school, were just across the road from each other. The principals were on good terms, so both schools were well associated. The Pevensies, and admittedly Rose, didn't have very many friends at their respective schools.

Peter was in his finishing year, Year Twelve, and Susan was in Year Eleven. Edmund and Rose were in Year Nine, and Lucy was in Year Seven.

The two schools met up on a regular basis for sporting events, and the students were allowed to travel back and forth between schools after hours. In this way, it wasn't long before both St Finnbar's and Hendon House were both well aware of the fact that Peter Pevensie was dating Alyssa Wiltshire.

Alyssa was a pretty blonde girl in Susan's year, and they were on quite good terms. Susan disapproved of her going out with Peter, though, for reasons Rose couldn't quite fathom.

Though both schools certainly knew about her and Edmund's relationship, they weren't quite as extravagant about it as Peter and Alyssa. In fact, their relationship was quite shy and as Lucy said, had a certain sense of innocence about it.

Susan and Alyssa shared a dorm at St Finnbar's, but since Alyssa spent all of her time with Peter (who she was obviously infatuated with), Rose could usually walk into the dorm and have a nice chat with Susan, and sometimes Lucy joined in.

Only about two weeks since they'd returned from Narnia, Rose knocked on room 112, which she well knew to be Susan's. Her friend smiled as she opened the door, and not for the first time, Rose wondered why Susan herself didn't have a boyfriend. She was definitely beautiful enough.

"Come in, Rose."

Rose sat down on Alyssa's neatly made up, unoccupied bed, while Susan frowned at the window with distaste. Rose leaned forward to see what she was looking at, and wasn't surprised to see Alyssa and Peter kissing passionately under a tree on the storey below.

Susan shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe they can stand right outside and do that."

"They're just kissing," Rose pointed out mildly, "They're not doing anything wrong."

Susan sighed, and for the first time, Rose saw the sadness in the older girl's eyes, and knew from that faraway look that she was remembering Narnia.

"It's not that. He knows how I felt about Caspian, and how we can never..."

She broke off mid-sentence, not trusting herself with her emotions. Rose put an arm around her friend, comforting her.

"I know you loved him. He loved you, too. But Peter and Alyssa love each other, and eventually, I'm sure you'll find someone here that you love, too."

Susan shook her head fervently.

"That's where you're wrong, Rose," Susan replied, "Alyssa loves Peter, but he doesn't love her back. Surely you've realised?"

"He doesn't...doesn't love her?" Rose stammered. But why would Peter go out with Alyssa, who was obviously totally in love with him, if he didn't love her back? He wouldn't do that. Not Peter.

A sad smile curved Susan's lips. "Rose, isn't it obvious?"

Rose shook her head, completely dumbfounded, and Susan sighed in exasperation.

"He's still in love with _you_! He's only going out with Alyssa, making it so obvious, because he hopes you're going to be jealous."

"But that's just stupid!" burst out Rose before she could stop herself, "I mean...he knows I'm in love with Edmund. I told him myself. His envy of Edmund isn't going to change a thing. He's one of my best friends, but nothing more."

"I know," Susan nodded sympathetically, "It's a typical boy thing. You'd think, at eighteen years old and as the former High King of Narnia, that Peter would have more sense. I don't want to interfere, but...Alyssa's a nice girl, and I don't want to see my brother hurt her."

**PARAGRAPH**

"Since when were you going out with Rose Finley?" Edmund's roommate, Alexander, asked him almost suspiciously.

Edmund shrugged. "Since about two months ago. Why?"

Alexander sighed wistfully. "Mate. You need to help me get a girl. I mean, Rose is pretty. How did _you_ manage to get _her_?"

Edmund's lips curved into a wry smile. "Why, thank you for the support. Besides, who are you eyeing off now?"

A dreamy smile crossed over Alexander's face. He was an alright sort, Edmund had decided. He panted after the girls at St Finnbar's something terrible, but he didn't mean any harm. When he had a crush on one of them, though, he could almost turn into some kind of stalker.

"Maria de Cassio." Alexander had an idiotic smile across his face and Edmund fought the urge to chuckle or jokingly tell him to stop drooling. "She's beautiful."

"She's also a year older than you," Edmund pointed out to him, suddenly realising that him giving advice to Alexander reminded him of how Peter always used to give _him_ advice. "Trust me, older girls won't show an interest."

Alexander frowned. "It's only a year's difference."

"Still." Edmund shrugged. "Alright then. Try asking her on a date and see what happens."

Alexander looked crest-fallen. "Oh. It's alright for you. You've known Rose for years, haven't you? Have you kissed her yet?"

Edmund gave him a withering look. "How old do you think I am? Of course I've kissed her."

"Really?" Alexander leaned forward, examining Edmund with critical eyes, "You don't seem the sort to kiss girls for some reason."

Alexander was the sort of boy who had a case of verbal diarrhoea. He always said what he thought and despite the fact that his honesty was sometimes refreshing, Edmund often found it to be irritating.

"Thanks," Edmund replied flatly.

"No offence, mate," Alexander held up his hands in an attempt to placate him, "You're just...quiet. Heck, it was weird enough when I found out you had a girlfriend. But I suppose you can't always tell. I mean, did you know that Henry Richards..."

Edmund did not want to hear stories about other people. He knew Henry, a geeky boy on the floor above them. He shook his head slowly.

"Do you ever shut up?" he asked incredulously. "Look, what I've with Rose is my business. When you get a girlfriend, I'm sure you'll understand."

**PARAGRAPH**

Rose was in her dorm with Lucy that night, over at St Finnbar's. Her roommate, an egocentric and shallow girl named Bridget, had gone out to a dorm party taking place in the room of a Year Eleven girl, a party which Rose strongly suspected involved alcohol.

Rose had decided to tell Lucy about the time her Science class had practically started a riot. Both girls were giggling when something tapped sharply on her window, and both girls stopped talking to glance over at it.

"Keep going," Lucy insisted, "It's probably just a branch."

But before Rose could say anything else, there it was again – something tapping against the window, harder this time. Rose pushed open the window to gaze down below with a shocked expression on her face.

"What is it?" called Lucy softly, "Rose?"

Rose could see the silhouette of a certain someone standing below, and that someone she knew was Edmund. She shook her head slowly, unable to believe what she was seeing. He waved frantically to her.

"Come down, Rose!"

"Is that Edmund?" giggled Lucy, joining her friend at the windowsill, "He's being stupid...doesn't he realise how much trouble he's going to be in if he's caught? It's way past curfew."

"He knows," said Rose in a dry voice, "He's just trying to play Romeo."

Edmund glanced up at the two girls standing in the window, his eyes fixed on the surprised face of Rose Finley. Her almond-shaped, hazel eyes...those eyes in which he could see the mixture of green and brown when they were close. Her short golden brown hair, which flowed almost to her shoulders.

Edmund remembered the girl in Narnia, the Princess Rose who'd always been true to herself and never changed over time, not even when they came back to England. The Rose he'd fallen in love with. She was intelligent, witty, funny, beautiful, brave, feisty, stubborn...at times, she could be bloody annoying...but that was okay, because he loved her.

"Does Peter know you're out here?" hissed Rose, leaning over the ledge, "He'd kill you!"

"He's stuck up in his room, avoiding Alyssa," replied Edmund with a smirk and the hint of a laugh in his voice, "Somehow, I think he's gone off her a bit."

_He's still in love with you..._

Susan's words from earlier floated around inside Rose's head, but she brushed them away as if they were cobwebs. Lucy smiled in utter delight and gave Rose the thumbs-up. Clearly, she thought it was fantastic that Rose and Edmund were going off on a late-night venture.

"I'll cover for you, Rose."

Rose hugged her, giving her younger friend a grin of relief. "Thanks, Lu."

She clambered onto the windowsill, and jumped nimbly into the tree that was planted conveniently near their dorm room. As Lucy and Edmund watched her, Rose clambered down through the branches until she stood on the ground right near the boy she loved.

"What do you want, Edmund Pevensie?" Her voice was cold and full of steel, but Edmund could see the laughter dancing through her eyes. Above them, Lucy subtly closed the window, waving at the pair of them before disappearing from sight.

"I'm kidnapping you," Edmund laughed, glancing around to make sure none of the teachers were watching them. "I have a surprise...something I want to show you."

He took her hand and led her away from the dormitory, and from their rooms, two people – a boy and a girl – gazed wistfully down at them, wishing for a love that wasn't their own.


	17. We Own The Night

**Chapter Sixteen: We Own The Night**

Edmund led Rose beyond the border of Hendon House. She was fully aware of how much trouble they'd be in if they got caught, but stumbling along gripping Edmund's hand, somehow it didn't matter to her.

Behind Hendon House was a thicket of trees which was rumoured to be haunted, but King Edmund the Just and Princess Rose the Brave didn't care. They'd fought untold horrors in Narnia, creatures that were supposed to be legends. Rose knew that she was The Protector, but she'd always puzzled over that title.

During the Golden Age, she hadn't exactly done much protecting. In fact, after what she remembered – the memories that Edmund had kept from her – she'd very nearly destroyed them. Last time, with Caspian, she'd created a rift between Peter and Edmund. She wasn't any kind of Protector. More like a Destroyer.

"What's your worst nightmare?" she whispered daringly through the dark as Edmund led her deeper into the woods.

Edmund turned around to glance at her, and then stopped. She could see the emotions running through those dark eyes, the eyes of a boy who used to be so bitter and sullen. Now, the lonely teenager had found himself, and the girl he loved. She felt the strong desire to kiss him, but refrained so she could hear his answer.

"My worst nightmare is losing you, Rose. Or my family. The loss of someone I love...I don't know if I'd be able to bear it. The pain I'd feel inside..."

Then he took her hand again and led her on. He didn't want to admit that he'd nearly caused that kind of loss himself, the first time the five of them had entered Narnia. He had betrayed them and nearly got them all killed by the White Witch...but that had been years ago. He didn't want to think about _that._

"Where are we going?" Rose protested. They were a fair way from campus now. "Ed..."

"Don't worry," he interrupted, "It's not far."

The seductive lure of mystery was too much for Rose to resist, and she revelled in the feeling of rebellion, of escaping everything she knew with the one she loved. Right at this moment, it didn't matter if she was in Narnia or England. She was with Edmund, and that was all that mattered.

Finally, Edmund stopped and put his hands over Rose's eyes. A smile spread across her lips as he led her gently forward. Then he murmured into her ear, "Open your eyes."

He took his hands away, and Rose gazed around her. They were still in the woods – sort of. They were in a small clearing, from which she and Edmund could clearly see the stars. She'd never pictured Edmund as the really romantic type, but this totally changed her perspective.

"Oh, Ed..."

She leaned in and kissed him passionately. It was the most wonderful feeling, and she felt his arms slid around her waist so naturally it was as if they belonged there. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, and Edmund ran a hand through Rose's hair. Finally, they parted, both gazing intently at each other.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I know." A smile was still on Rose's lips. "I love you, too."

Edmund fished something out of his pocket as Rose sat down to gaze up at the starry night sky. He'd been waiting in the shadows his entire life, waiting in Peter's shadow. But now he knew he was the luckiest person alive, because he had something Peter didn't: Rose.

"I brought this back from Narnia. It's a prophecy. Caspian showed it to me before we left because he thought it had relevance to our return."

Interested, Rose rested her head on Edmund's shoulder and looked down at the piece of paper.

_Three years from now, three shall return, _

_To the land of Narnia fair._

_In an age of deception and darkness,_

_But alas they should beware._

_A fourth summoned from magic deep,_

_A hero and a knight._

_Unexpected shall his appearance be,_

_Both by the dark and light._

_An ancient evil faintly stirs,_

_Dark magic shall elevate._

_But in question victory is,_

_To which side delegate?_

Rose frowned deeply. It seemed like a normal prophecy to her – but she didn't understand what it meant. From the meaningful look in Edmund's eyes, however, he evidently did.

"Don't you get it?" Edmund asked in surprise, "I thought you'd know..."

"You've had ages to study it," retaliated Rose, a sting of irritation running through her, "Why don't you tell me what it means?"

A smirk crossed Edmund's lips. "Finally, something I know that Rose the Brave doesn't."

"Get on with it." She was half-laughing, half-serious.

Edmund tapped the paper.

"The first verse talks about three people returning to Narnia in three years – that could mean you, Lucy and I. We were supposed to go back...but three years? That's an awfully long time to wait..."

"It could mean Narnian years," said Rose quickly, eager to solve the enigma of this prophecy, "Is there anything else you can understand?"

Edmund nodded, and glanced over the prophecy once more.

"The second verse talks about a fourth returning, and his return will be unexpected."

Rose pondered over this. "Maybe it's someone we haven't met before, someone else who's going into Narnia."

Edmund nodded again. "Could be. The last verse talks about an ancient evil stirring, and dark magic is at its peak. It also says about how it is unsure if light or dark will win this battle. Perhaps the White Witch?"

Rose looked thoughtful. "I don't know."

Rose was still frowning, but Edmund couldn't give a damn about the prophecy. He'd just wanted Rose's insight, but now even that seemed irrelevant. He was here under the stars with the girl he loved, so how could he want any more?

"Rose..." Edmund's voice was husky in the night air, "I will love you forever."

**PARAGRAPH**

It was about an hour or two before Edmund and Rose finally went back. After a passionate kiss, the two of them parted, and Rose shivered in the cool air as she made her way back to her dormitory in St Finnbar's. She clambered back up the tree and pushed open the window.

Lucy was no longer in the dormitory, but Bridget was – and she didn't look too pleased. She planted her hands on hips as Rose turned to close the window behind her.

"Where have you been?" demanded nosy Bridget, "It's past midnight, you know. You're very lucky you weren't caught."

"I know," said Rose almost automatically.

"No, you don't understand," continued Bridget, flicking on the light, "We had to cover for you. Lucy, Susan and I. I told Ms Kennelly that you were fast asleep up in bed, and Lucy was under the covers pretending to be you...so Alyssa got really told off..."

"Wait," Rose suddenly sat up at the mention of Alyssa's name, "What about Alyssa?"

Bridget made an annoyed noise. "Alyssa Wiltshire. You know, the Year Eleven girl? She's going out with your boyfriend's brother..."

"Yes, yes, I know," Rose said impatiently, "But what about her?"

Bridget, always the gossip, leaned in with a gleam in her eyes. She relished the opportunity to spread rumours about anyone. She was the sort of person who people would tell things if they deliberately wanted to have it heard by everyone.

"Did you know that Peter dumped Alyssa this afternoon? She went over to Hendon House and demanded to see him, but Peter shut himself away in his room. Oh, she was so angry and upset...then Peter's roommate came out and told Alyssa that Peter didn't want to see her right now and she should come back later. So she did, and he dumped her."

Rose could hear Bridget babbling on. Normally she tuned out to her roommate's gossip, but this time her mind was processing every word of it. Peter had dumped Alyssa? They'd only been dating a month...she loved him...but then Rose remembered Susan's words, always coming back to haunt her.

"Peter told Alyssa – eventually, mind you – that he'd dumped her because he was still in love with you. Boy, that got her mad. So, a few hours ago, she saw you and Edmund going off together...out of spiteful jealousy, she told Ms Kennelly, but like I said, we covered for you."

"Thanks," murmured Rose.

"Too right," sniffed Bridget disdainfully, "You owe me, you know."

Peter had dumped Alyssa because he loved Rose? But he knew she was with Edmund now. Rose wanted to sleep, but her mind was full of complicated questions, and she stayed up a long time after Bridget had started snoring.

**PARAGRAPH**

According to Susan, Alyssa was in a foul mood. The usually sweet, kind girl had turned into a jealous monster in the rage of finding out that Peter had dumped her to pursue a younger girl he knew he couldn't be with.

Susan went and had words with Peter. That was putting it lightly – Edmund had been down the end of the corridor, but could hear Susan shouting at him from there. No one would ever have guessed that she was Queen Susan the Gentle. More like Queen Susan the Livid.

"YOU KNOW ROSE IS WITH EDMUND! WHY CAN'T YOU GET THAT THROUGH YOUR THICK HEAD?"

Peter muttered an inaudible reply, before Susan started yelling again.

"THAT'S YOUR EXCUSE? ALYSSA IS A NICE PERSON, PETER! YOU CAN'T JUST DROP SOMEONE WHO LOVES YOU OUT OF SELFISH DESIRE FOR SOMEONE YOU CAN'T HAVE!"

Edmund knew that Susan was too cautious to mention Narnia. He knew that she was itching to yell: "Rose didn't drop you for Edmund when you were both married during the Golden Age!"

SLAM. The door to Peter's room opened, and an irate Susan stormed down the corridor. The eavesdropping boys immediately scattered and took shelter, not wanting to suffer the angry girl's wrath.

After hearing from Susan about her ranting at Peter, Rose decided that there was only one option: she had to go and see Alyssa.

**PARAGRAPH**

Alyssa didn't look too pleased when Rose knocked on room 112. Her blue-green eyes glanced at her accusingly. Her posture was tense and there was nothing but hostility on her face.

"Oh. Susan's out, so come back later."

She made to close the door, but Rose put a hand there to stop it from shutting.

"I'm not after Susan. It's you I want to talk to."

Shock flickered in Alyssa's eyes, but then the hurt was there again, and she tried closing the door.

"I don't want to talk to you right now. I'm sure you understand."

Alyssa's voice was curt and dismissive, but Rose was having none of it. Her temper got the better of her, and she pushed the door open. She was going to end this now, whether Alyssa wanted to or not.

"Dammit, Alyssa, you will listen to me!"

Alyssa was astonished to have a younger girl speaking to her in such a way, and she considered slapping Rose. Then she found herself nodding.

"What do you have to say? I already know that Peter dumped me for you."

"I'm with Edmund," protested Rose, "He knows it just like everyone else. I want to assure you that I don't love him."

Alyssa's eyes were wide. "You – you don't? Not one bit?"

Rose shook her head firmly. "Not at all. I'm in love with Edmund...as you probably realised last night."

Alyssa's cheeks burned bright red. "Oh. You heard about that. I'm sorry."

Rose glanced at the older girl sympathetically. "I think that when Peter's ready, he's going to take you back. All I'm saying is that you have to be ready, and think about whether you want to take him back or not."


	18. The Return of a Nightmare

**Chapter Seventeen: The Return of a Nightmare**

**A/N: I thought I might expand on this bit, especially now that the Dawn Treader movie has come out. I feel that, in this story with Rose, Peter still has a bit to learn from Narnia...even if he's not supposed to come back. I hope you'll see my direction as I progress through editing these chapters.**

Rose struggled in through the Scrubbs' front door with a bag of shopping. Edmund held the door open for her and she smiled at him as she stumbled inside. Of course, Rose wasn't staying with the Scrubbs like the Pevensies were – and from what she'd heard about Eustace, she wouldn't have wanted to – but she had been invited over for tea as Edmund and Lucy's 'friend'.

"Hello, Uncle Harold," Lucy called cheerfully as she and Rose went through to the kitchens with the bags, "I tried to find some carrots, but all they had were turnips again. Shall I start making soup? Aunt Alberta's on her way home."

Lucy struggled out of her jacket and moved into the lounge, where her uncle Harold was reading a newspaper and paying no attention to what she was saying.

"Uncle Harold," Lucy repeated wearily. Clearly this was a common occurrence.

Edmund looked fed up as he took his own jacket off, and he pulled his tongue out at the man on the couch. Rose clamped a hand over her mouth to suppress a giggle.

"Father." It was a snobby-sounding blond boy standing on the stairs. He was around Lucy's age and Rose's first, rather nasty thought was he looked somewhat like a pig. This must be Eustace."Edmund's making faces at you."

Eustace fired a spitball at Edmund, who immediately rushed up the stairs towards his cousin.

"Why, you little..."

"Father, he's going to hit me!" Eustace exclaimed.

Eustace cowered on the stairs and Edmund was just about to hit him, when Lucy's call roused them all.

"Edmund, look!" She was holding up a letter with a delighted expression. "It's from Susan."

Rose glanced at the letter. She hadn't heard from the older Pevensies lately either. Peter had finished school and had gone to study with Professor Kirke, while Susan was away with their parents in America. Rose, now sixteen, hadn't visited Edmund and Lucy in some time since they'd been sent away to live with their aunt and uncle due to the war.

"Well, we might as well go upstairs and read it, then."

**PARAGRAPH**

"...Mother hopes you won't mind another few months in Cambridge."

Lucy looked up from reading Susan's letter, a look of horror on her face.

"Another few months?" she repeated in utter disbelief. "How will we survive?"

"You're lucky," grumbled Edmund, sitting down on the bed between Lucy and Rose, "At least you've got your own room. I'm stuck with mullet-mouth."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Susan and Peter are the lucky ones, off on adventures."

"Yeah, they're the oldest and we're the youngest," Edmund sighed, "We don't matter as much."

Lucy crossed the room to the mirror and Rose realised she was observing herself critically. Something had changed about Lucy, she noted. This girl of fourteen seemed to care more about her appearance than she once had. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Do you think I look anything like Susan?" Lucy asked.

Rose glanced across at her. Clearly, Lucy envied her older sister's beauty as Rose once had. She was about to reply, but Edmund spoke first.

"Lucy, have you seen this ship before?"

She smiled across at the painting as Rose got to her feet and joined Edmund to look at it.

"Yes. It's very Narnian looking, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Well, just another reminder that we're here and not there."

Eustace appeared in the doorway, as Edmund, Rose and Lucy turned around. Rose had only just met this boy and already she was beginning to like him less and less.

"There once were two orphans who wasted their time, believing in Narnian nursery rhyme."

Edmund's eyes blazed as he started towards Eustace. Rose gripped him by the arm, holding him back.

"Please let me hit him."

"No," replied Lucy.

"Don't you ever knock?" Edmund demanded.

Eustace frowned. "It's my house. I'll do as I please. You're just guests."

He entered the room, but the other three had already turned to face the painting again. Eustace folded his arms, staring hard at Rose.

"I should have known you would be just as potty as my cousins, or else I suppose you wouldn't be friends with them, would you?" When no one replied, he sat down on the bed. "I don't get what's so fascinating about that picture anyway. It's hideous."

"You won't see it from the other side of the door," Edmund retorted irritably.

Lucy tilted her head to the side. "It looks like the water's actually moving."

"What rubbish. See? That's what happens when you read all those fanciful novels and fairytales of yours."

Edmund rolled his eyes. "There once was a boy called Eustace, who read books full of facts that were useless."

Lucy and Rose laughed quietly.

Eustace was not pleased. "People who read fairytales are always the sort who become a hideous burden to people like me, who read books of real information!"

Edmund had clearly had enough. He turned around, his dark eyes narrowing as they rested upon his cousin. "Hideous burden?"

Edmund stalked towards Eustace, who quickly stood up off the bed and started backing away. Rose turned and watched them with apprehension.

"I haven't seen you lift a finger since we've been here," Edmund berated him.

Eustace made to leave through the door, but Edmund slammed it closed, keeping his hand there so that Eustace couldn't try and get past him.

"I've a right mind to tell your father that it was you who stole Aunt Alberta's sweets."

"Liar," Eustace replied, but he didn't look Edmund in the eye.

"Oh, really?"

"Edmund, the painting..." Lucy called from the other side of the room.

Rose whirled around. The sea...it looked like it was actually moving...Edmund and Eustace were still busy fighting.

"I found them under your bed, and do you know what? I licked _every _one of them."

"Ugh! I'm infected with you!"

Suddenly, water began gushing from the painting, and even Edmund and Eustace couldn't ignore it. They stopped bickering to stare at the water that filled the room. Eustace rushed forward and pulled the painting off the wall, but already the place was filling with water. Rose took a deep breath and closed her eyes, feeling herself going under...

She gasped as she broke the surface, paddling towards where Lucy had been discovered by none other than Caspian. He was older than she'd expected, probably about twenty-one now, but there was no mistaking him. Rose smiled, realising that they were back in Narnia...back where it felt right. Caspian quickly had them all aboard his ship, apparently called the _Dawn Treader_.

Edmund, Rose and Lucy were overjoyed to be reunited with their friends, but Eustace was less than happy. He ranted and raved, stamping his feet and protesting. Reepicheep suggested throwing him back in the water, and a sly smile crept over Edmund's face.

Lucy noticed and nudged him.

"Edmund!"

**PARAGRAPH**

"We'd better find you all some more adequate clothing."

According to Caspian, things had been going quite well in Narnia for some time now. Except for the fact that there were many old lords missing. As well as the number of lords from his father's court that Miraz had banished, two knights – named Sir Robert and Sir Gregory – had recently disappeared, and Caspian was determined to find them all.

"There is a sorcerer in the northern regions," confessed Caspian, running a hand through his dark brown hair, "An evil one who has been causing much trouble for us. We think he may be somehow linked to the White Witch."

"But...she died ages ago!" protested Rose, "The last time was saw her was three years ago. He's probably just a lone sorcerer try to stir up havoc."

"Maybe," agreed Caspian, "But we can afford to take no chances. This sorcerer must be defeated."

Once again, Rose was left doubting her role as The Protector. When had she done something even remotely protective? There had to be something more, something that she didn't know yet...

"Susan misses you," she told Caspian, looking for his reaction. After all, he was a young man in his early twenties. Who was to say he hadn't married?

Caspian flushed. "Yes, Susan...how is she?"

Rose nodded. "She's good. She misses Narnia, too, I think. She knows she can't come back."

"Well," mumbled Caspian, shifting his feet, "Narnia misses Queen Susan."

Satisfied that Caspian still held the same feelings for Susan Pevensie, Rose allowed herself a small smile, but that smile disappeared when Drinian, the captain of the ship, brought up a dress for Rose to wear.

"Don't you have anything else?" she demanded, knowing she sounded like a princess and feeling quite haughty, "Anything less...feminine?"

Drinian looked shocked. "But, your Highness, it is custom for women to wear dresses."

"In Narnia, perhaps, but not in my world."

Caspian's eyes gleamed. "But you're not in your world anymore, Princess Rose."

In the end, Caspian won out, and Rose found herself examining her reflection in the mirror. The dress showed more of her curves than she was comfortable with.

Caspian knocked on the door. "Are you decent, Rose?"

"Yes."

Caspian glanced at her approvingly. "You look...nice."

Rose offered him a small smile. "Thank you."

Caspian moved up to the deck. Rose came with him as Lucy moved into the quarters they would be sharing – Caspian's, apparently, which he had given up for them – to change. Rose tripped over the hem of the dress and frowned.

"Gaah, stupid dress!"

**PARAGRAPH**

Edmund ran his eyes approvingly over Rose, making her feel shy again. She averted her eyes and felt her cheeks flaming red.

"That dress suits you," he commented, smirking as Rose coloured even more deeply.

Rose was astounded to see Lucy walk back onto the deck wearing men's clothing, and she pointed almost accusingly at the fourteen-year-old girl.

"See! Lucy gets to wear men's clothes!"

There was an awkward silence, before Rose insisted, "You said it's custom, but why doesn't she have to wear a dress?"

"The one you're wearing is the last one," Caspian commented abruptly, "There are no more on board."

Rose smiled. Finally, there was some light in this situation! She'd found the perfect solution.

"Then Lucy and I can swap. She can wear the dress and I'll wear the men's clothes. If that's alright with Lucy, that is."

Lucy nodded. "That's quite alright, Rose."

The silence was even more awkward, but Rose couldn't see why. Drinian made some excuse about something he had to go and do, and so Caspian was left to explain, though by the smirk on Edmund's face, he obviously knew all too well.

"The dress wouldn't fit Lucy as well."

"Why not?" demanded Rose.

Edmund started to laugh, but Rose didn't see what was so amusing.

"What's so funny?" she inquired, placing her hands on her hips, "Well?"

Caspian cleared his throat. "Umm, you see...er, how can I put this...?"

Edmund watched his friend dither, then decided to explain himself, having no trouble in the matter: "You happen to have something Lucy lacks: curves."

Rose bit her lip as she examined her cleavage, tugging in vain at the dress. Edmund and Caspian exchanged glances, before bursting into laughter. Rose rolled her eyes, and got an answering smile from Lucy, who mouthed, _Boys!_

**PARAGRAPH**

The Lone Islands was the place where the wicked sorcerer was rumoured to be located, and so Rose, Edmund and Caspian decided that they were going to find him. Despite Lucy's protests (Eustace was too sick in his cabin to know about a thing), they wouldn't let her come along.

Caspian, Rose and Edmund had their swords so there wouldn't be a problem if this resulted in a physical fight. The rest of the crew were waiting on standby for if anything went wrong – which Rose guessed it might. After all, this _was_ a sorcerer they were trying to deal with.

"This is ridiculous," hissed Rose, stepping through the shadows with caution, "We don't know where this sorcerer is. Even if we did, why are we looking for him? He's probably far too powerful for us to contend with."

Caspian shook his head stubbornly. "We need to get him before he is at the peak of his powers."

Edmund nodded, and Rose sighed in exasperation. "Are all boys like this?"

Reports weren't scarce through the local town. Apparently, this sorcerer liked to flex his muscles, really show his power. He was bold and most likely young, too. With some information from helpful locals, the trio managed to find out where the sorcerer's lair was.

There were a variety of statues in front of the old, broken-down farm where the sorcerer had chosen to base himself, and Caspian suppressed a gasp as he recognised one. It was the statue of a young man, a knight.

"Sir Gregory." His words were a meaningful whisper, and both teenagers could hear the sadness in his tone.

Rose felt the anticipation starting to run through her, and her heart thumped in her chest as Caspian pushed at the door to the farmhouse. He stepped back shaking his head.

"It's locked. There must be another way in."

Edmund's dark eyes glittered as he stepped forward. "Stand back."

He kicked at the door, and the rotten wood gave way and the door crumpled into pieces. Coughing in the dust that emerged, the three of them stepped through the doorway into the farmhouse.

It was so dark they couldn't a thing, and this frightened Rose. If she couldn't even see Edmund and Caspian, how were they supposed to find this sorcerer? He could murder them all before they even knew he was there.

Something scuffled past nearby, and in the dark, Rose groped for Edmund's hand and clung on instinctively. He squeezed her hand reassuringly – silent comfort in the dark of the farmhouse.

"So. You've come."

The words were simple, yet there was no mistaking the malicious laughter as a chandelier above burst into flame, lighting up the room for them all to see. The sorcerer was younger than they'd expected, perhaps the same age as Caspian. His hair was sandy blond, and his eyes were a murky grey-green as he smiled at them all.

"Don't you remember me? Should I enlighten you...Princess Rose?"

Her hazel eyes widened as she realised that she did recognise him. It had been long in Narnian years, but for her it had barely been any time at all. Of course she should have realised he hadn't disappeared – Brody, the young sorcerer who had threatened to ruin their lives forever.

During the Golden Age, he had worked so hard to destroy them, and he had come so close to succeeding. When he was finally confronted and he realised he couldn't win, he had thrown himself into a portal he had created, and become lost in the unknown.

Rose didn't see how it was possible that he had returned. She couldn't understand it, and the sorcerer grinned malevolently at her as she struggled to reach a conclusion.

Behind the sorcerer was a heavy-looking curtain, which Brody stood in front of with his hands clasped behind his back. Somehow, Rose felt a disturbing notion that things here were going to lead to darker places. This wasn't just about Sir Gregory anymore...events had connected their sinister enemy to everything.

"I may have failed in the Golden Age, but I won't now. Let me show you something."

He waved his hand, and the curtain fell abruptly...but it was what was behind the curtain that made Rose gasp in horrified shock. There was a sheet of ice there, and imprisoned within the sheet of ice was a person...

Not the White Witch.

Peter.

No words could express the astonishment that Caspian, Rose and Edmund felt. All of them observed High King Peter's frozen form with utter horror. Brody's power must have grown significantly...while many of his conquests during the Golden Age had failed, he had managed to lure Peter into a portal between worlds, a space between Earth and Narnia.

"High King Peter the Magnificent," Brody sneered the words, his eyes fixed on Peter, "No older than me, yet considered to be some kind of prodigy. Everyone considered him to be infallible during the Golden Age."

"Leave him alone." Rose's eyes narrowed and she planted her hands on her hips. "Send him back."

Brody just laughed. "Who says you can command me, Rose? No. One of you must step forward, or I will kill him here and now."

He gestured at Peter, before drawing a dagger from his belt. Despite the stereotypical depiction of sorcerers in robes, Brody was garbed more like an assassin than a sorcerer. His clothes were black as sin, and brown boots were the only break in his dark attire.

"Well? Who wants to volunteer? One drop of royal blood will free the High King from his icy prison."

His malicious gaze travelled over them all. Which of them would brave the unknown, would step forth and subject themselves to his mercy? He watched as they all glanced at Peter with trepidation.

Brody sighed dramatically. "Do I have to choose?"

Edmund noticed the sorcerer's gaze lingering on Rose, and he had no doubt that Brody would choose her. He stepped forward, his eyes hard. "I'll do it."

Rose glanced at him with horror. She was sure that Brody wouldn't spill one drop, but all of Edmund's blood – and they weren't even sure if he was lying. This could be some kind of ploy, with Peter as the bait.

"No," whispered Rose, clutching at his arm, "Edmund, don't do this."

"He's my brother," Edmund said in a low voice, "And I'm going to save him, Rose. This isn't his fault."

Edmund stepped forward, his eyes locked on Peter. Then, he turned his glance upon the young sorcerer. He remembered how much Brody had tried to hurt them all during the Golden Age, and he also knew that something was amiss. However, his brother was in peril.

He had already hurt Peter by taking Rose from him. He wasn't going to further jeopardise the High King and Narnia.

"The knife, please."

Why would Brody want to help them? Rose thought furiously; what was in this for him? He obviously needed Peter for something, and as he wasn't of royal blood...he'd lured them in here. It had been a trap. Now, Edmund was just about to free Peter and spring the trap...

"Edmund, don't!"

It was too late. Edmund had slid the knife quickly along his hand, holding up his palm so that it faced Peter. The ice started to break, and within seconds, Peter was free of his icy prison – but something was wrong. He was garbed in his armour, and clutching Rhindon, his sword, in his hand.

Rose noted Brody's malevolent smile, a smile that could not bode well.

"High King Peter," Brody called, and Peter stepped towards the sorcerer, his sword raised, "I have summoned you back into Narnia using magic."

Peter's blue eyes widened as he recognised Brody, the evil sorcerer who had tried to destroy everything during the Golden Age. He had thought the young man was gone forever...but apparently not.

"Aslan said I wasn't to return," Peter pointed out, the warning clear in his tone, "You brought me back, but I wasn't supposed to come back. You nearly destroyed us in the Golden Age – and now you're trying to do it again."

The smile disappeared from Brody's face. He was trying to earn Peter's trust, but the High King had a sense of honour too great for Brody to break. What would he have to do to poison Peter against the others?

"Kill him, Peter!" cried Rose, "He's trying to corrupt you!"

"Don't listen to the girl," snapped Brody, "Why would you trust her? Your own brother is in love with her...and she loves him back."

Peter stood motionless, sword pointed at Brody. Horrified, Rose remembered that look on his face, the same look he'd had when the White Witch had nearly convinced Peter into freeing her from the ice a year ago.

"Ignore him, Peter!" yelled Edmund, "He's using you!"

Brody grinned at Peter, and though the menace was clear, the High King still didn't move. He knew things that other enemies didn't, and he could use them against Peter. He would make the High King destroy everything he held dear, all by his own hand.

"He stole the girl you loved, Peter. Now he plots to steal your title. Your own brother plans to murder you so he can be High King!"

"He is lying!" exclaimed Caspian, "He just wants you to turn on us!"

"And Caspian," Brody spat the word with contempt, "Where to start? If it weren't for him, half of your army never would have died in Miraz's courtyard."

Peter hesitated, and Rose could see him calculating. A sense of fear enveloped her. _How did Brody know about that? _She, Caspian and Edmund were powerless. It was up to Peter to decide the truth, decide who he was going to listen to. He was the fourth person, the fourth to come back to Narnia.

"Your brother is going to kill you," persisted Brody, "Are you going to stand there and let him – even after he's already taken the girl you love?"

With a bellow of rage, Peter made his decision and turned, raising his sword against Edmund. Shock flickered in the Just King's eyes, and sparks flew as the two swords clashed. A wolfish grin spread across Brody's face.

"No!" cried Rose, "Peter, stop. You don't want to do this!"

Peter wasn't listening. All he could feel was hatred for Edmund, the younger brother who had stolen from him already, yet was still plotting to take more. It didn't matter that he wasn't supposed to be in Narnia. Nothing mattered except the fact that he had to kill Edmund.

"I can't say I love you," continued Rose desperately, "Because I don't. But Peter, see reason! Edmund is your brother, and he would never try and betray you!"

Peter slashed at Edmund, and the younger King yelled in pain as the High King made his mark. Edmund fell with a crash, and Peter moved in, triumphant, for the kill. The darkness in the young man's eyes was undeniable.

"Peter, Alyssa loves you!" shrieked Rose, "I might not, but Alyssa loves you with all her heart, and it's breaking her that you don't love her back!"

Peter's sword had been raised above his head, preparing to strike Edmund down. At Rose's last words, he paused. Alyssa's name had stopped him...the thought of Alyssa, the girlfriend he'd never fully appreciated...

"Kill him," snarled Brody, "She's just fabricating lies to get you to listen."

But Peter was relenting, Rose could tell. Slowly, he lowered his sword, and gripped Edmund's hand in his own, helping the younger King to his feet. Brody's face was livid with rage, and he hissed angrily.

"You will all suffer!" he spat, raising his arms and directing a wave of black magic towards the two brothers.

"Noooooo!" Rose's scream of distress broke through her lips, and she was running towards Edmund and Peter before Caspian could stop her. She knew she would be far too late, but still, she had to try...

A shot of blue-violet light escaped her hand, just as a feeling of tingling enveloped her, the internal intensity of magic crackling within her. It escaped her and formed a shield in front of Edmund and Peter.

Rose felt her energy draining as Brody's magic bounced off the shield she'd created, back towards him. The dread in his face was evident, and he howled in rage as his own magic struck him squarely in the heart. He flipped backwards once, twice, three times. Then he smashed through a mirror, and after the shards of glass had settled on the ground, he was nowhere in sight.

"I don't think we'll be seeing him again," Edmund said confidently, turning to face Rose.

All eyes were fixed on the sixteen-year-old Protector as she flushed with the intensity and awe with which their gazes held.

"What?" she demanded accusingly.

"That was you," Edmund's voice was full of amazement, "The Protector...Rose, you can do magic."

Rose glanced down at her hands, hands that seconds ago had been full of power. So that was what it meant. Her being the Protector. Aslan telling her, all that time ago, that she'd been more important than she'd thought...

But there was no way she could use her new powers. She couldn't even control them. It had just...happened. There was no explanation for it, apart from the fact that one of her best friends and the one she loved had been in danger.

The legend of the Protector was beginning to stir, ready to show Rose what she was truly capable of.


	19. The Binding of Elements

**Chapter Eighteen: The Binding of Elements**

Peter gazed from Caspian, to Edmund, and then finally to Rose. His sword clattered to the ground as he realised what he'd done...and worse still, what he'd been about to do. His blue eyes were filled with horror, his handsome face a mask of disbelief.

"I am so sorry," he said, voice shaking, "Edmund, Rose, Caspian...I never thought I would have tried to kill any of you..."

Edmund stepped forward, his dark eyes full of understanding as he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "It's fine, Peter. We know that Brody had corrupted your mind...he was using your weaknesses to his advantage."

"It could have been worse," Rose's tone was grave, "A lot worse. Edmund could be dead if..."

"If you hadn't interfered," Caspian pointed out, "Rose, you saved all of us."

Edmund put his arms around her, holding her close to him. His chin rested on top of her head and Rose was all too happy to be in his embrace.

"Thank you," he whispered in her ear.

"I shouldn't be here," Peter said quickly, glancing around as if expecting to see Aslan ready to reproach him, "Aslan said..."

Rose nodded. "It was because of Brody's dark magic that you were summoned here. You need an equally powerful sorcerer to transport you back."

Peter's eyes were fixed on Rose. "You could. You stopped Brody."

Rose shook her head stubbornly. There was no way her powers rivalled those of Brody...she'd just taken him by surprise. She remembered how much havoc Brody had caused during the Golden Age and what he was capable now...she certainly couldn't accomplish any of that.

"I'm sorry, Peter, but no. I don't know how to control my own magic...I think you're going to need Aslan."

Peter nodded, looking quite stunned. He felt guilty about being back in Narnia when he wasn't supposed to be, and he wasn't sure how Lucy would react. Especially since he'd nearly killed Edmund, even if it had been an accident.

As they exited the farmhouse into the moonlit yard, the first thing they noticed was the statues – or rather, lack of them. Apparently, once Brody had been defeated, the statues had been released from their stony prisons to become human once again.

Someone gripped Caspian's shoulder, and he whirled around, drawing his sword as he did so. He found himself facing a young man with his olive colouring, dark brown eyes and hair. The young man was probably around eighteen, and he smiled knowingly at Caspian.

"Don't you recognise me, your Highness?"

Caspian's mouth dropped open. "Sir Gregory."

The knight's eyes travelled over Edmund, Peter and Rose, all of whom had drawn their swords when Caspian had. He had a good-natured smile on his face and Rose wondered how he could be so cheerful when he'd just been turned back from stone.

"Who are your companions?"

"My friends are High King Peter, King Edmund and Princess Rose."

Sir Gregory immediately assessed the three teenagers to be his superiors, and bowed to them in one fluid movement.

"It is an honour to meet you, your Majesties, your Highness."

"How did you manage to run afoul of that sorcerer, Brody?" asked Edmund out of curiosity.

Gregory scowled at the memory, clearly not a pleasant one.

"Brody, that was his name, was it? Sir Robert and I were sent by your Majesty, Caspian, to investigate the string of murders taking place in this town, and it appeared that Brody was behind it all. I confronted him alone, foolishly, and he gloated about his plan. It seems that he was plotting to use a blood sacrifice to resurrect the White Witch, but then realised that wouldn't be a wise idea, as she would overpower him. Brody then decided that he wanted the monarchs of Narnia dead, and when he found the prophecy, he decided he'd try and use his magic to force all of you to return, including their Majesties Queen Susan and Queen Lucy."

"Lucy is also in Narnia," confessed Rose, nodding, "But Susan isn't."

"Yes," agreed Gregory, inclining his head to her, "Brody knew that the oldest King and Queen weren't to return, so he decided he would wait until you all arrived, and then use royal blood to bring both of them back. It appears he only managed to get his Majesty King Peter to return."

"But why?" inquired Rose in frustration, "Why would he want us here? I know he wanted to kill us, but what was the point of summoning us all here to do it?"

Gregory fixed her with a meaningful gaze. "Power, your Highness. Brody wanted to become the new King of Narnia, but in doing so he must marry a monarch. He was deliberating between you, Queen Susan and Queen Lucy, but decided that you would be the best candidate. He said that the Queens were already rulers, but after everyone else's death, you would be picked to be the High Queen, and if he married you he would gain ultimate power."

"Me?" Rose's brow was furrowed into a frown, "Brody was going to try and marry me?" She felt sick at the very notion. During the Golden Age, the sorcerer had nearly destroyed Rose's life. She had been forced to turn against her friends or else risk their deaths...and it had very nearly been the undoing of all of them. She had seen a darkness in them then that she had never seen before...and only just witnessed again with Peter.

Gregory nodded fervently. "Yes, your Highness. I don't mean to be a problem, but may I ask – where is Sir Robert? He was with me, you see..."

Caspian's eyes were sad. "I'm sorry, Gregory, but we have no more idea than you do. We were actually hoping that you might be able to tell us."

Gregory frowned. "Well. After imprisoning me in stone, Brody would have most likely gone after Sir Robert. He wasn't one of the statues?"

Caspian shook his head, and Rose felt a surge of dread. Robert wasn't dead, was he? These two knights seemed to be Caspian's most trusted.

"We need to find Aslan," Peter said authoritatively, "Not only can he transport me back to England, but he might know where we can find Sir Robert."

**PARAGRAPH**

Rose didn't usually have nightmares, but after the events of that night, she fell into a tumultuous sleep back on the Dawn Treader in the cabin she and Lucy shared.

_A girl crouched over a motionless boy. Rose couldn't see either of their faces clearly, but the boy was obviously unconscious and was garbed in armour like a knight's. The girl clutched the boy's shoulders, shaking him as tears streamed down her cheeks._

"_Please wake up," she whispered, "You can't leave me now."_

_A pair of booted feet came into view, and the girl glanced up at the figure that Rose couldn't see._

"_It's useless," hissed his sinister voice, "Useless. You know that he's dead, and there's nothing you can do."_

"_No, he's not dead!" cried the girl, "You're not going to poison my mind, too..."_

_The figure laughed in malicious delight. "This is all for love. I knew it from the start, and now it will be his end!"_

Rose woke gasping to find Lucy shining a torch in her eyes. She blinked in the sudden, bright harshness, and found her younger friend looking very concerned. Lucy sat down and put an arm around the older girl's shoulders.

"You were crying out in your sleep," Lucy told her worriedly, "Are you alright, Rose?"

Rose forced a nod. "I'm fine, Lu. I'm just...finding it difficult to sleep."

Lucy shifted across and the two girls lay down on Rose's bed. The younger girl gave a contented sigh.

"Well, if you like, I'll lie here right beside you just in case you have any more nightmares."

Rose smiled at Lucy's protectiveness. Within minutes, the two girls were asleep, coiled together in the sheets like when they'd been children.

**PARAGRAPH**

They sought out Aslan for three days, but to no avail. Peter and Caspian were on the brink of giving up, when more clues related to Sir Robert's disappearance were found. Gregory seemed to have taken quite a liking to Edmund, and the two of them were constantly joking around. They had duelled several times – and Rose was not surprised that Edmund had won every time.

Edmund was reading something on the deck as Caspian and Gregory duelled. Rose came up and stood beside him and Edmund showed her the book he was reading. It looked old and the writing on the cover was intricately curled.

"I found something in the little library," Edmund said, his expression dispassionate, "Take a look."

Humour glinted in Rose's eyes, and she grinned despite herself.

"You? In a library? The one on board the ship?"

"Well, someone's got to do the research," Edmund said in a mock-haughty tone.

"Research on what?" murmured Rose as she opened the thick volume to the page Edmund had marked.

"On why Brody would be imprisoning the knights. If he considered them a threat, he would have killed them – and obviously, they were a threat."

"I don't know," replied Rose, "Perhaps he thought his power was too great for them to stop."

Rose glanced at the picture on the page first – the four elements: Earth, Fire, Air and Water. She frowned, unable to comprehend how any of this was making sense, and Edmund noticed her disapproval.

"You'll understand, just keep reading, Rose."

Rose continued to read through on the page Edmund had selected, and some of it started to piece together like parts of a puzzle. The volume dictated that an ancient ceremony, imprisoning four sacrifices using the four elements, would be able to kill the Kings and Queens of old in one fell stroke. Rose was at a loss to think who might have wanted to write about something so terrible.

The element for each Pevensie was written down and noted: Peter was Air, Susan was Water, Edmund was Fire and Lucy was Earth. Rose's frown deepened as she discovered the truth for herself; Brody was imprisoning the knights as sacrifices in the intention of murdering the Kings and Queens.

"But what element was Sir Gregory imprisoned in?" Rose wondered aloud, "Which of you can't be killed now?"

"Stone is from the earth," Edmund said hesitantly, "Sir Gregory's liberty means that Lucy is safe."

"What about you others?" protested Rose, "The only other knight we know of is Sir Robert, and..."

Edmund shook his head, his dark eyes filled with an urgency that Rose hadn't noticed before.

"I spoke with Caspian about this earlier. Another two knights disappeared only months before Gregory and Robert – their names were Sir Nathan and Sir Mitchell. They were sent to investigate a strange mist noticed on the eastern seas."

"The four elements," whispered Rose, "But he can't kill you without Sir Gregory, can he?"

Edmund stiffened, and his hesitation was enough for Rose to get upset. She walked over to him and embraced him gently. The Just King smiled down at her, and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"I don't think Brody is dead."

Those simple words were enough to fill Rose with fear, and realise that this meant Peter, Susan and Edmund could still die.

**PARAGRAPH**

They stopped the search for Aslan and embarked on the search for the three missing knights. They searched for signs of the elements, and after a few more days without any luck, they stumbled upon it in the most unlikely of circumstances.

"Your Majesty," Drinian called out to Caspian, "There is a passage up ahead known as the Pass of Sirens. Should we go around it?"

Caspian shook his head. "No. Proceed as normal, captain."

"But..." Drinian's eyes were wide, "No sailors have ever returned from the Pass. It is mortal peril, Sire, fatal to any man."

Caspian smiled tightly."That is why we are lucky that Rose and Lucy are with us. Perhaps we shall find one of the missing knights in a place of mortal peril."

Drinian nodded in understanding, and shouted at the crew to sail straight for the Pass of Sirens. Everyone was edgy and nervous, but Rose and Lucy knew they didn't have to wonder. The tempting songs of the sirens would have no effect on them. For now, they were safe – but the rest of the crew certainly weren't.

They heard the beautiful voices of the sirens as they entered the pass, but they only took action when they noticed that all the males had become entranced. Rose ran over to Edmund, slapping him sharply across the face.

"Edmund, you're not yourself! Snap out of it!"

Lucy had taken to the wheel and was steering around a large crop of rocks up ahead. She could see the men leaning perilously close to the edge, and called out to Rose. The ship was rocking dangerously and Lucy's eyes were full of urgency. It was not going to be easy, the two of them manning a ship by themselves.

"You have to tie them up, or they're going to get themselves killed!"

The men put up no struggle in their mild states, and Rose easily tied everyone up as Lucy spun the wheel to avoid the rocks. The sirens' song intensified almost aggressively, and Rose leaned over the edge to look at them.

They looked just like mermaids in picture books, but no mermaid had such spite in their eyes. They smiled with sharp teeth at Rose, and she scowled disapprovingly down at them. Then she saw the bubble, and she gasped.

"It's one of the knights!"

Lucy's eyes widened, and she immediately understood. Crossing the deck, she threw the anchor over the side so that the ship steadied and jerked to a halt. She ran down to where Rose was standing to get a better look.

"How are we going to rescue him?" she asked, sounding troubled, "He's in an underwater bubble...the sirens aren't going to give him up that easily. Brody must have got them to guard him somehow."

"Too true," muttered Rose, thinking fast, "But there has to be a way, I know there must!"

She and Lucy both knew that Lucy was safe from the curse, but Susan would be in trouble if they didn't rescue the knight from the Water prison. Rose bit her lip, beginning to worry. Gregory had been easy to free – but this knight was a different matter.

"Are you a good swimmer, Lu? Can you hold your breath long enough to save the knight?"

Lucy nodded doubtfully. "It's those sirens I'm worried about."

Rose forced a smile. "Leave them to me. Dive, quickly!"

Lucy obeyed, diving into the depths of the water and narrowly missing the crop of rocks. Hissing in rage as they realised the young girl was trying to rescue their prisoner, the sirens swam after her.

"Oh, no, you don't!"

Rose searched for that familiar feeling, the sensation of magic that she'd felt when she'd protected Edmund and Peter. She could try and shield Lucy and the knight from the sirens' wrath. But the magic failed her, and her shoulders slumped with disappointment as she wondered what to do next.

Peter had managed to struggle from the ropes and now walked over to the side, entranced. Rose soon realised that the sirens were just as captivated with this young man as he was by their song, and they stopped pursuing Lucy to swim up and glance at him in awe.

Peter reached out a hand towards them, skimming the surface of the water. Their eyes lit up greedily as they realised he was going to jump over the side to join them. Rose realised it, too, and she tried to catch Peter's arm as he dived.

"No!"

Rose caught Peter's arm just in time to prevent him from diving, but his role as a distraction had worked. Lucy broke the surface with the Water knight swimming beside her, both of them gasping for air. Rose helped them both onto the ship, and told Lucy about what had happened with Peter.

"Who are you?" Rose turned her attention to the knight. He was younger than Sir Gregory, maybe about the same age as her and Edmund. He was handsome with fair skin, piercing blue eyes and a mop of dark hair. Even sopping wet, he smiled at his rescuers.

"I'm Sir Robert. And who might you two be?"

Rose supposed after so long in his prison, the sirens' song no longer affected him.

"I'm Lady Rose. This is Queen Lucy the Valiant."

Sir Robert smiled charmingly at both of them, and Lucy seemed to be smitten with him instantly. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled coyly in his direction.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both."


	20. The Painful Past

**Chapter Nineteen: The Painful Past**

The males instantly awoke from their stupor the moment Sir Robert, Lucy and Rose had steered the ship away from the treacherous Pass of Sirens. Caspian and Sir Gregory were both overjoyed to see Sir Robert safe, and they asked him if Brody had told him anything about his plans.

"He mentioned an ancient ritual," Robert confided quietly, "A ceremony in which he was going to sacrifice me and three others...but he didn't really explain it. He just said that each of the Elements was linked to something."

"The Kings and Queens of old," Caspian nodded understandingly, "The sorcerer Brody imprisoned four knights – two of you are free, but the other two we've yet to find. Water and Earth...that means both of the Queens are free, but King Peter and King Edmund are still in grave danger if we don't find the two knights."

"Is Brody powerful enough to complete the ceremony with the lack of knights?" questioned Lucy, "Maybe, because we've freed two of them, it won't work."

Robert shook his head slowly and sighed. "I'm sorry, your Majesty, but you're wrong. All of the knights need to be freed for all of you to be safe. Each of our imprisonments within the elements was linked to one of you, and only the Kings or Queens who have been rid of their elements are safe."

It was all very confusing to all them, and none of them could understand the real purpose behind the ceremony. Brody could have completed it before Rose, Edmund and Lucy had entered Narnia, but had chosen not to.

Why? Had he been waiting for Rose to come, too, so that he could murder the Pevensies and become High King by marrying her all in one fell strike? Nothing was certain anymore, apart from the fact that they must find the other two knights: Sir Nathan and Sir Mitchell.

**PARAGRAPH**

Edmund was scouring the thick volume when Rose found him. His eyes were serious and tired, but still he continued over his work. When the door closed to the small library on the ship, he glanced up in surprise, but was glad to see Rose enter the room.

"I'm worried about you," murmured Rose as she took a chair opposite him and grasped his hand in hers, "You and Peter both. If we don't find the two knights..."

"It's you I'm worried for," Edmund replied quietly, "If we fail, and Peter and I die...it's you that Brody wants. He'll force you to marry him and take over Narnia. If that happened, I don't think I would want to live to see it."

Edmund stood up and went to place the volume back in its proper place. Rose stood, too, and moved over to stand next to him. She glanced at him, the young man she'd fallen in love with, and was struck by sadness.

"Can he still kill you if we're back in England?"

Edmund hesitated, and then nodded. "I think so. The magic works in both worlds, I think. That's why he could summon Peter."

Seeing the tears brimming in Rose's eyes, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Her warmth made him relax, made him remember what it was like when it felt like it was just the two of them, and nothing else mattered...

"I don't think I could stand seeing you die," breathed Rose, "No...I _know _I couldn't stand it. I love you, and the thought of losing you..."

Edmund tilted her chin up and then kissed her fiercely. Their lips moved together for some time, before they broke apart.

"You're not going to lose me, Rose. I promise, we'll find Sir Mitchell and Sir Nathan and then everything will be fine."

Rose shook her head slowly. "No, it won't. It won't be fine until Brody is dead."

**PARAGRAPH**

Eustace had started to come out his shell a little more – well, at least he'd come out of his cabin for the first time since he'd arrived. He still looked a little green, and very sulky, but the realisation that Edmund and Peter might die was one that had unsettled him greatly.

He didn't like how Caspian, Peter and Edmund were always whispering and laughing around him. Even Rose wasn't very nice to him – she just tagged along with the boys, but he did notice she only smiled when they laughed at him. Only Lucy was alright – kind Lucy who always noticed how Eustace didn't fit in.

Rose found Peter brooding to himself in his and Caspian's cabin, and she sat down next to him, trying to keep him company. He glanced at her, forcing a smile, but then he turned away with a guilty expression.

"Peter, what's wrong?"

Rose took his hand, trying to figure out what the matter was, but Peter snatched his hand away and glowered at her.

"Don't, Rose. Just...don't."

Rose's hazel eyes were full of hurt. "Why? What's gotten into you? What have I done?"

"It's not something you've done," Peter said slowly, considering his words, "It's something that I've done."

Rose sighed. "If this is about how you listened to Brody, we all understand. You were angry and hurt, and Brody used this to play you..."

Peter shook his head, blue eyes emotionless, without their familiar spark of life from the noble, chivalrous High King. He still loved the girl who sat beside him, yet he was conflicted. His feelings for her were strong...yet he had Alyssa now, and he knew he needed to let Rose go. She was Edmund's love now.

"No, this is something else. Something that happened far before Brody summoned me back into Narnia."

When Rose continued to look puzzled, he sighed and prepared to explain.

"I found something in the small selection of books in the library. I wasn't looking for it, but once I started reading it, I couldn't stop. It was...compelling. It was depressing, dark and full of bitterness."

"What was it?" Rose's voice was a whisper.

"Edmund's diary from the Golden Age."

Rose gasped, and Peter hurried to explain everything.

"I don't know how they got it. Ed must have left it in Narnia after the Golden Age. But it must be the saddest thing I will ever read."

"Why?"

"You'd have to read it yourself," Peter replied mysteriously, "It's not something that's easy to explain."

He handed it to her, and Rose immediately started to scour through the pages, even though something told her this was repulsive, that this was wrong and she shouldn't be doing this.

_Three years since we entered Narnia, and still I haven't had the courage to ask Rose one simple question: will you marry me? I'm relieved that she didn't marry the Duke when he proposed to her, but that's the thing. I'm not the only one who remembers what Rose was like before she left for Archenland, and I'm not the only one who'll be enthralled by her return. _

_I've seen the faraway look in Peter's eyes whenever anyone mentions her name, and the bitterness inside me – the bitterness I carried before I became the Just King – it rises and threatens to engulf me. I'm always the one in the shadows, in Peter's shadow. _

_Never as handsome, never as noble, never as courageous, never as strong...never as perfect. I know that if Rose returns and Peter asks, she will marry him. And then I will have nothing left._

Rose flipped through the pages, never having known that Edmund had felt that way when she'd been so in love with Peter, never realising that what she and Peter had was nothing at all compared to the love she would later hold for Edmund.

_He asked her to marry him, and she said yes. It's been a long time – a wedding two years waiting – but everyone knows it will be worth it. The High King is marrying the Lady Rose, the young woman they know he's loved since forever...but so have I. If I ever had a chance with her, I lost it long ago. She's completely in love with Peter, and I think it's eating away at me inside, knowing that they're in love...I just wish I could let her know how I feel. _

_I'll be there at the wedding, of course. Peter's best man, as he put it himself. Always in the shadows._

A sense of urgency enveloped Rose, and she flipped even further through the book that was the diary of King Edmund the Just.

_Susan is forever pestering, telling me that I should get married soon myself, but I think Lucy has guessed the truth. I hear her crying out at night that it's all her fault and she should have realised long ago, but maybe she's talking about something else. _

_I often wonder how I'm supposed to live like this, live with myself. It's my fault, not Rose's. If I had told her, she would know. But I was too late, and Peter won...once again._

Tears poured down Rose's cheeks as she realised the sadness that Edmund had endured when she'd been married to Peter. She'd never realised, only Lucy had...she felt so horrible, so guilty, felt like this was all her fault...

But no. She _had_ loved Edmund. She remembered all the memories he'd stolen from her, to protect her. She knew he had loved her a lot because he had given her up to see her and Peter happy.

She put down the diary and stomped out of Peter's room, wiping the tears away from her eyes before Edmund could see. She didn't want him to know that she'd been reading his diary, didn't want him to know she'd found out the truth, the depth of his feelings for her.

There were other issues at hand, however. Drinian was quite annoyed at a pesky falcon that was fluttering around with his hat, dodging every attempt he made to snatch it back.

"Give me my bloody hat, you stupid bird!"

Peter exited the cabin and walked over to the bird. The falcon tilted its head curiously, observing him. He reached out a hand and snatched the hat from the falcon's claws, his finger raking against them as he did.

"Oww..."

But something amazing was happening. The falcon was changing in a swirl of golden light, and the next moment, a young man stood there – a young man with dark hair and eyes, and a cheery face.

"Sir Mitchell," muttered Caspian, stepping forward to observe him. This young man was probably the youngest of them all, maybe a little older than Lucy and Eustace. He smiled as he turned his gaze upon them all, and Peter handed Drinian back his hat.

"Thank you for saving me from my imprisonment," Mitchell said, "All I needed was the touch of the Pevensie I was bound to kill...High King Peter."

Just like Gregory and Robert, Mitchell had earned a scrap of information about Brody's plans, this one involving the torment that held Sir Nathan.

"Brody said that the one imprisoned with the Fire element would be right before our eyes, and that it would be near impossible to find him."

"The last knight!" cried Lucy, "But did Brody say where he'd be imprisoned?"

Mitchell shook his head, sighing. "I don't think we'll ever know."

"You look really upset," Lucy said once the crewmembers and the other surrounded Sir Mitchell. She came over and put her hands on her friend's shoulders. "Are you alright, Rose?"

Rose was hesitant. "The only reason I'm going to tell you is because you already knew...partly."

Lucy looked confused, before Rose elaborated.

"Peter found Edmund's diary in the library on board the_ Dawn Treader_. I didn't know what to expect, so I had a read of it, too. It made me so sad...because I remember what Edmund took from me and I know why he did. I didn't want to read his diary. I know I shouldn't have..."

"No," Lucy interrupted, "It's alright. It's fine. I'm just sorry I didn't tell you earlier. You see, I thought you loved Peter..."

Both teenage girls fell into melancholy silence, before Edmund made his untimely arrival.

"Am I missing something?"

"Only Sir Mitchell's appearance." Rose's tone was slightly irritable, and Edmund noticed, his eyes questioning.

"You okay, Rose?"

With that, Rose burst into tears and explained the whole thing to Edmund. How she loved him, and she was sorry she'd never known the hurt she'd caused him when she'd married Peter all that time ago. She was sorry she took to reading his diary, and gleaned his perspective of life, a perspective that was never hers to know.

Edmund embraced Rose, held the girl in his arms while she dried her eyes.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," he told her, and that was the end of it.

The two of them kissed, earning a filthy glare from Eustace, before rejoining the other knights. As they walked up behind them, Peter groaned almost inaudibly.

"There's going to be drinking tonight, I can just tell."

**PARAGRAPH**

Peter was, of course, right. The bottles of alcohol were passed around for everyone, and Rose and Lucy had scowled when Drinian had tried to say that alcohol wasn't fit for ladies. Just to prove how unladylike she was, Rose had taken a huge swig of a wine bottle, before wiping her mouth and passing it to Edmund.

"Ohh, that tastes awful!" she exclaimed, breaking into raucous laughter.

After a few rounds of bottles being distributed, everyone was at least the slightest bit drunk – especially Reepicheep the mouse. Peter had taken to singing Narnian lullabies under his breath, and Lucy had boldly leaned over to kiss Sir Robert passionately on the lips.

Edmund, though a bit tipsy, seemed as sober as ever as he clutched his diary in his hands, which Rose had brought him.

_Use it...use your anger, little King...she was always rightfully yours..._

Edmund shook his head, trying to rid himself of the voice that sounded awfully like the White Witch's. Something was wrong with this diary. He could practically feel all the emotions that had run through him when he'd written it.

He glanced into the small, contained fire that they'd set up, weighing the diary in his hands. Then his lip curled in contempt, and he threw it into the fire.

For a moment, one sentence was visible: _Always in the shadows._

The flames leapt up as they claimed the diary completely, but it was only when they roared to life did everyone notice. Lucy jumped up from Robert's lap and ran over to glance at the flames.

"You don't think...?"

Edmund glanced at the figure stepping from the flames, and nearly couldn't believe it himself. Brody had imprisoned Sir Nathan within the Just King's diary, knowing how painful the memories would have been, knowing that Peter wouldn't want to show Edmund...

"Sir Nathan, is that you?"

The knight was probably the same age as Sir Gregory, with deep green eyes and strawberry blond hair. He glanced serenely around at the group of people gazing at him in surprise.

"Of course it is. You've freed me from Brody's spell, I presume."

Caspian stood up and went to examine his friend. He could barely contain his sense of triumph.

"Ha! Brody said it was impossible that we'd find you, and none of us could have guessed that...wait, what _did_ you throw into the fire, Edmund?"

Edmund hesitated, and Rose noticed him tense. "A book."

Caspian's pleasure at seeing his friend again prevented him from asking Edmund any more questions.

Rose was smiling. She didn't need to fear for Edmund anymore, at least, not because of an indirect threat. The Fire prisoner had been found, and Edmund was free from the curse like his siblings before him. She wondered how long it would take Brody to find out about this...

"Come have a drink, Nathan!" bellowed Mitchell, patting the spot on the deck beside him.

Nathan tutted. "Isn't fifteen a bit young to be drinking, Mitch?"

"It's a special occasion!" crowed Gregory, tossing Nathan a bottle of beer, "Especially now that you've arrived...we found you fast!"

"Very fast," murmured Rose under her breath, "Maybe even a bit too fast..."

Of them all, she was probably the only one who suspected something was wrong. The ease with which they'd saved the four knights made her suspicious, and she wondered if this was all part of Brody's master plan, whatever that might be. It had all happened too fast, too easily. They had outwitted foes before, but Brody was clever. He obviously had a far grander scheme, one that he intended to unleash upon them.

Something told Rose that Edmund's diary didn't fit into Brody's calculations. That had just been a coincidence, something that had happened out of the blue. Of course, Brody must have known about the diary to imprison Sir Nathan within it. But he thought he had hidden it well, never expecting its owner to find it once again...

She was the Protector. It was up to her to defend the Pevensies from Brody. It was just like in the Golden Age, except then she had been saving them from themselves. Now, there was a far greater evil to be concerned about.

**PARAGRAPH**

In the darkness, the fog of a single breath escaped from the young man's lips as he glanced into the bucket of water.

"Gaah!" In his rage, he punched it with his hand, knocking it over so the contents spilled, and the image of the lively _Dawn Treader_ crew vanished. His hands balled into fists.

"Curse you, Rose Finley! You just had to read the diary, didn't you?"

Brody turned away from the spilt water, and his lips curved into a smile as he observed his prisoner. The young woman was suspended mid-air, though her hair whipped as though in some fierce wind. Her eyes were closed, but she breathed steadily as if she was asleep.

"No matter...I have something – or rather someone – that will change everything for you. Someone you certainly didn't expect."

**PARAGRAPH**

The night wore on, and so did the celebrations. No one noticed two people slip away from the gathering to kiss in front of the beauty of the ocean. Edmund and Rose finally broke apart, but Edmund didn't move his arms away from where they were wrapped around Rose's waist.

"I'm so glad you're going to be safe," Rose whispered, and Edmund caressed her hair back from her face, "But I don't think we've seen the last of Brody."

"Neither do I," agreed Edmund, "But we can enjoy our freedom, our peace, while it lasts."

He leaned in and kissed her again, and they stayed that way for a few more moments before breaking apart once more.

"What do you think of Lucy and Robert?"

Edmund glanced back towards where his fourteen-year-old sister sat in Sir Robert's lap, giggling along with everyone else.

"He's alright, I suppose. The only problem is with going back. She's just going to get hurt like Susan was. I can only hope that it's only a flirtation, and that Lucy hasn't fallen in love with him."

Rose nodded her agreement. In that way, she felt sorry for Susan. Susan had only ever loved Caspian, and parting from him had been difficult for her. She knew what Edmund meant, and didn't think she'd be able to take a sad Lucy.

"Peter's got Alyssa," Rose reminded him, "She's back in England. He'll be going back to her, soon enough."


	21. Walking in Circles

**Chapter Twenty: Walking In Circles**

Peter stood on the deck, oblivious to the crew. He was not supposed to be in Narnia. He felt like an intruder in a place where he'd always been welcome. Everything was telling him he wasn't meant to be here...and despite the fact that it wasn't his fault, he still felt guilty.

_Why do you fight the inevitable, Peter Pevensie?_

Peter whirled around at the sound of Aslan's deep voice, but the Great Lion was nowhere in sight. Yet the voice still continued to resound through his mind.

_You are in Narnia now, whether by my will or not. There is still one last lesson you have yet to learn here, a lesson that you are learning right now._

"What lesson?" Peter whispered.

_That, you must discover yourself._

A series of images flashed through Peter's mind, composed of his jealous ruminations on Rose and Edmund. That was when it occurred to Peter, why he was really here. He still begrudged Edmund for being the one to win Rose. He was here because he needed to let her go.

**PARAGRAPH**

They decided to celebrate their newfound liberty, and landed upon an island that Rose didn't recognise. Sir Robert was chasing Lucy through the long grass that swayed in the wind, and a smile lit Peter's face as he watched.

Eustace sat by himself under a tree reading a book from the library, and Peter and Caspian were soon practising their duelling skills, much to the amusement of the crew and three other knights.

Edmund glanced across at Rose, a rare smile breaking across his face as he took her hands in his. They swayed together in the wind as the Narnian sun set, together in their own little world once more.

Then, Edmund's smile grew mischievous, and he scooped Rose over his shoulder and ran through the grass. She was laughing as she thumped on his back.

"Put me down, Edmund! Put me down, now!"

Edmund didn't listen to her, and their laughter melded as Edmund ran through the fields with Rose jostling over his shoulder. Finally, he set her down and she tried to hit him playfully on the chest. He caught her by the arms and pulled her to him, kissing her. She struggled, but his grasp was strong, and she giggled when they broke apart.

"That's not fair!" she cried, "You know you're a lot stronger than me."

Edmund smirked. "Exactly."

Rose dived at him, trying to tackle him. She caught him by surprise and managed to push him down, falling on top of him. They lay there, him glancing up into her eyes and she glancing back. She leaned down, her lips tantalising inches from his.

She tried to pull away, but Edmund growled in mock annoyance and pulled her back.

"Don't tease."

He kissed her once, lightly, and then let her go. They both got up, dusting the grass off them.

Eustace wandered over, having finished his book.

"Has anybody seen Sir Nathan?"

Everyone glanced around them, surprised. Sir Nathan was nowhere in sight, and in the midst of all their light-hearted frolicking, no one had really noticed.

Caspian frowned. "He's probably just gone for a walk. Enjoying the landscape. He'll be back soon."

**PARAGRAPH**

But Caspian was wrong. After two hours of waiting, Sir Nathan hadn't returned. Caspian became worried, and sent a search party out to investigate. Sir Robert and Sir Mitchell volunteered to go out, but Caspian would not let Lucy join them. Infuriated, the Valiant Queen stormed off and shut herself away in her cabin.

"It's not fair!" she fumed when Rose entered, "Caspian never lets me do anything! I'm fourteen years old, the same age you were when you first went into Narnia."

Rose hesitated, and then decided to be brutally honest. "It's because you can't really fight. You're a healer, not a warrior. If you were attacked, there's no way you'd be able to defend yourself."

"But Robert needs me!" Lucy's eyes gleamed with a fervency Rose hadn't noticed before, "He does! I need him, too."

Rose's heart sunk as she realised the truth. Sir Robert and Lucy were in love. This would be heart-breaking for Lucy when she returned to England, so Rose took her by the shoulders and shook her.

"Forget it. Forget Robert. You can't take him with you, and I don't want you getting hurt like Susan."

Something flashed in Lucy's eyes. "I-I can't stay with him, can I?"

Rose shook her head slowly. "I'm so sorry, Lu. You have to come back with the rest of us."

Then Lucy threw herself at her pillow and started to cry. Her heart had been broken into a million pieces, just like her sister's before her. To Rose, it wasn't fair. The one she loved resided in England, but for Lucy, she would never see Sir Robert again.

**PARAGRAPH**

The three knights hadn't returned by dawn, and their absence made everyone troubled. Sir Gregory had separated himself from the others, obviously seeming to think that his companions had been lost once again.

Caspian's gaze was firm as he glanced around the ship at the others.

"I've made a decision. A group of us, a larger group this time, are going to go and find Sir Mitchell, Sir Nathan and Sir Robert."

Lucy folded her arms sulkily, expecting to be excluded from the group once more.

"Peter, Edmund, Rose, Lucy, Gregory and I shall go and search for them."

Drinian stepped forward. "But, Sire..."

"If I do not return, Drinian, then you assume absolute command. Every crewmember must listen to you, and I want you to find Aslan and get Eustace back. Do you understand?"

Realising the seriousness of the situation, Drinian could only shut his mouth and nod his head.

**PARAGRAPH**

They set out, the island somehow not quite as beautiful as it had been the previous day. Lucy was very quiet, and Rose guessed that she was ruminating over having to leave Sir Robert behind in Narnia. After a few hours of trekking, Lucy stopped abruptly, a smile crossing her face as she pointed at the hill up ahead.

"Look! It's one of the knights!"

The figure was waving frantically from the hill, and Lucy broke into a run before any of them could stop her. She thought it was Sir Robert.

"Lucy..." Edmund's voice was lost on his younger sister as she stopped at the crest of the hill. The knight had suddenly fallen, and Lucy cried out in horror and ran even faster, as the others ran behind her.

Lucy reached him first. It was Sir Mitchell, his once merry eyes full of grim serenity. He glanced up at others, and they were horrified by his wounds. His face had many cuts, and his arm was bleeding badly, as was his left shoulder.

Lucy took out her cordial without a word, giving Sir Mitchell a drop. He closed his eyes in relief as the pain started to go away, and then opened them to glance at the others. Their eyes were expectant, searching for answers.

"What happened?" asked Lucy, "Where are the others?"

"There has been a terrible mistake," Mitchell rasped, "Sir Nathan has betrayed us all. He works for Brody."

There was shock in everyone's eyes. Lucy gasped, and Rose clapped a hand over her mouth as Mitchell continued. She would never have guessed that one of the knights would willingly serve Brody, not after having been imprisoned by the sorcerer.

"We stood no chance at the ambush. We had no idea."

Lucy's voice revealed the same fear that lay within her eyes. Rose knew what she was going to ask and she didn't think she wanted to know the answer. She bit her lip and turned her head, not wanting any part in this.

"Mitchell...where is Sir Robert?"

Mitchell blinked up at her, no trace of emotion in his eyes. There was nothing but numbness inside him now.

"Sir Robert is dead."

**PARAGRAPH**

Lucy didn't speak a word as they continued, but the tears that streamed continuously down her cheeks spoke of her grief. Sir Mitchell showed them where Sir Robert had died, fighting valiantly to save Mitchell when Sir Nathan had wounded him. Caspian had leaned down and closed the young man's eyes, a young man no older than sixteen years old.

Lucy had been unable to suppress her grief, and let out a howl of despair. Her shoulders shook with uncontrollable sobs as she realised the boy she loved was dead. They all comforted her (with the exception of Gregory and Mitchell), but they continued soon afterwards. Sir Nathan had obviously fled to wherever Brody was, and they were determined to find and kill both of them.

"Why would Brody have imprisoned Nathan if they were working together?" questioned Edmund.

Caspian shrugged. "We cannot know. Some twisted idea of Brody's, no doubt. We found Nathan very soon after Mitchell, remember? It was probably organised by Brody himself, and Nathan was willing to be imprisoned within the diary."

It didn't take long to find the ruins of what used to be a small cathedral. Brody and Sir Nathan were nowhere in sight, and night had fallen, leaving everyone jumping at shadows and stealthy sounds.

"Where are they?" whispered Lucy, "I want to kill him...I want to kill Nathan..."

The sound of boots meeting stone wasn't heard until it was too late, and Nathan had a dagger to Mitchell's throat. Lucy cried out in alarm, and Peter, Edmund and Caspian all drew their swords and glowered at Nathan.

"Traitor," spat Peter, his blue eyes burning.

Brody stepped forward from behind a pillar, a wicked smile crossing his face. He glanced at them all in turn.

"Just give us the girl and no one need die."

They all knew he meant Rose. For some reason, they all knew. Almost imperceptibly, Mitchell shook his head.

Brody laughed delightedly. "If this is supposed to be bravery, Sir Mitchell, then your effort is in vain."

Without another word, Nathan's dagger sliced across Mitchell's throat, and his end was quick. Mitchell staggered as blood started to pour from the wound, and Lucy screamed piercingly. Then he fell, and she fumbled to take out her cordial. By the time the girl had rushed to his side, Sir Mitchell was already dead.

"Only one knight left," Brody breathed, "If only you had still been attached to the elements...that would mean the deaths of King Peter and Queen Susan. I especially assigned Sir Nathan to your element, King Edmund. A traitor for a traitor, yes?"

Edmund lunged forward, but Rose grabbed him by the arm and held him back. She knew that Brody would relish the opportunity to kill him.

"Kill them all except the Protector," commanded Brody, and Nathan moved silently forward with his dagger still stained with Mitchell's blood.

"Why are you doing this, Nathan?" inquired Caspian desperately, "Why did you betray us all?"

Nathan shook his head. "This is no betrayal, Caspian. It was organised from the beginning."

Gregory moved quickly, drawing his sword and slicing Nathan across the chest before he traitorous knight even knew what had happened. Nathan's eyes were wide as he glanced down at the wound with horror, and then across at Brody, whose face remained impassive.

"You were always just a pawn, Nathan." Sir Gregory's calm words enraged Sir Nathan, but the traitor knight fell dead just as surely as Sir Mitchell had.

"Now for the rest of you." Brody's voice was lazy, almost bored, as he flicked his hand towards the group – Caspian, Gregory, Peter, Edmund, Rose and Lucy.

A pillar fell, trapping Caspian, Gregory and Lucy behind it. Lucy screamed and staggered backwards, while Caspian pulled the girl out of harm's way.

There was malicious laughter in Brody's eyes as he pointed a finger at Peter, a sneer crossing his face.

"You. High King. I believe you may know this girl?"

Brody waved his hand, and a young woman was revealed in the centre of the ruined cathedral, drifting almost lazily mid-air. Rose's first thought was that it might be Susan, but it was the blonde hair she recognised.

"Alyssa." Peter's whisper was as good as confirmation.

Brody's face was gleeful. "Hand over the girl if you don't want Alyssa to die."

Peter hesitated. He nearly killed Edmund the last time he'd been manipulated by Brody, and he didn't want to be used again. However, Alyssa's life was on the line this time, and Peter didn't know what to choose – the girl who loved him, or the girl he loved?

"I can't." Peter took a step backwards. "I won't. This isn't my decision to make."

He turned his questioning gaze upon Rose, who defiantly met Brody's gaze. She wasn't best friends with Alyssa, but she still didn't want the older girl to die because of her.

"If you let the others live."

"No!" Edmund leapt forward, catching Rose by the arm, "Rose, you don't have to do this!"

Rose's eyes were cold as she turned to face him, and he caught sight of the terrible anger that lay within them. "I do. If I want to save you all, I do."

She took a deep breath and stepped forward. Brody's lips curved into a smile, before his magic sizzled towards Alyssa. Peter yelled out in shock, and Edmund's eyes widened. However, a blue-violet shield protected the girl from harm, and Brody gritted his teeth and glowered at Rose. She was smiling.

"Did you really think I'd trust you?"

Brody shouted in livid rage, and a second later, his magic had turned away from Alyssa and was directed at Peter. Rose was too late to turn her shield to him, but Peter's sword, Rhindon, deflected the magic just in time. Both he and Brody fought for power, before Peter's grasp slipped and Brody's magic sent him smashing into the wall.

Brody's eyes flicked to Edmund, a cruel smile on his face as the magic took hold of the Just King. Edmund shouted in agonised pain as the magic tormented him relentlessly, and then he too was sent flying backwards.

Rose ran to Edmund's side, crouching beside him. Her hand pressed against his throat, but she could feel no heartbeat. Rose seized Edmund's shoulder, shaking him as tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Please wake up," she whispered, "You can't leave me now."

"It's useless," hissed Brody's sinister voice, "Useless. You know that he's dead, and there's nothing you can do."

"No, he's not dead!" cried the girl, "You're not going to poison my mind, too..."

The sorcerer laughed in malicious delight. "This is all for love. I knew it from the start, and now it will be his end!"

Rose stood, hate etching her features. Peter had fallen, and Edmund was dead. She couldn't stop the tears, but her hate of Brody had numbed the pain. The fate of her friends depended on her destroying Brody. Edmund might not live, but there was still the others to consider.

"His end, perhaps. But I won't let you take away everything that I ever loved."

Her magic shot towards him, the tingling energy of it running through her. She was controlling it...she knew what it had to feel like, and the memories of her and Edmund kissing under the stars just made it stronger...

Brody looked surprised at her ferocity, and it shocked Rose herself. Her magic breached his defences, and struck him in the heart. Brody's surprised expression soon turned into a sadistic sneer as he moved forward, advancing on Rose.

"You really think your power can stop me?"

Rose heard the weapon whistling through the air, and Brody was too late to use his magic to defend himself from Rhindon piercing his heart. He glanced down in shock, and pulled the sword from him with a howl of pain. He tried to use his own power to heal himself, to save himself.

"It's not working, Brody. You're dying, and your magic is dying with you."

Peter watched in cold satisfaction as the sorcerer died, but Rose was by Edmund's side, her tears dripping onto his still face.

"Edmund...please wake up."

Peter helped Caspian, Lucy and Gregory out from behind the pillar, and Lucy raced over to her brother with the bottle of cordial in her hand. She knelt down beside him, her hand shaking as she administered it.

The group crowded around him, waiting for something to happen. If nothing did, then they knew...

Edmund spluttered his way back into consciousness, glancing around him suspiciously.

"Well, what are you lot staring at?"

"Edmund!" Rose threw herself at him, her eyes wrapping him around him tightly as if she were afraid to lose him.

He laughed shakily and embraced her back. "You'd probably better explain what happened."


	22. The Next Adventure

**Chapter Twenty-One: The Next Adventure**

The sun rose over the hill as the company made their way back down the hill towards the ship. There was something golden at the crest of the hill – and as they shielded their eyes from the sun, there was no mistaking the Great Lion.

"Aslan," Rose whispered.

They knelt before the Great Lion, Peter bowing his head almost guiltily.

"Rise," Aslan rumbled, and they got up and glanced at him with amazement. Almost selfishly, Rose wondered why he couldn't have stepped in earlier, before Mitchell and Robert had been killed. Couldn't Aslan have stopped all of this?

"It is time for one of you to return to England." Aslan turned to gaze at Peter, who lifted his chin and nodded.

"What about Alyssa?" he asked in concern.

"Her memories have been erased and she has been transported back already," Aslan replied calmly.

"Surely it isn't bad to remember Narnia?" Lucy asked, frowning in confusion.

"She was never supposed to come," Aslan explained, "The experience of being held prisoner by a sorcerer is never a good one, and Alyssa shouldn't be allowed to remember what happened."

Lucy nodded, not quite understanding, but accepting Aslan's word. A single tear tracked down her cheek before she asked, "Please, Aslan, isn't there anything you can do about Sir Robert?"

Aslan sighed. "Things are as they should be, dear one. Sir Robert did his duty, as did Sir Mitchell. There is nothing I can do for them."

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. Rose could never realise how hard it was for her to let go of the knight she'd fallen in love with, and pitied the younger girl.

"However, there is something I can do for you. I can take away your pain...but at a cost."

Rose shuffled her feet. She had the distinct impression that she knew exactly what Aslan was speaking about. Her pain had been taken away during the Golden Age – and her memories along with it.

Lucy clenched her jaw. "I know. I don't care for the memory of something that will only hurt me. Please, Aslan..."

The Great Lion moved forward and raised his paw, extending his claws. Lucy turned her head and gasped in pain as Aslan raked his claws down her hand...but then when she faced him again, the claw marks weren't even visible, and Lucy appeared content.

Aslan turned his gaze upon Peter, who averted his gaze and handed Caspian his sword. The young King of Narnia looked sad to see Peter going again. While the two had once been rivals, they were good friends now.

"I am so sorry, Aslan. I know you might never forgive me for trying to kill Edmund, but please at least recognise the fact that I apologised."

Aslan laughed. "None of this was your fault, Peter. You were summoned by a dark force, and that same force used you for evil. You can't be held responsible for that. Besides, you have learned all that Narnia has to offer you."

Rose, Edmund and Lucy exchanged confused glances, but Peter was smiling slightly as he stepped forward.

"How do I return?"

Aslan turned his head towards the hill again.

"You walk back the way you came, Son of Adam. Once you go over the hill, you will find yourself back where you were."

Peter swallowed hard, nodding. It had been okay the first time, when he'd thought he wouldn't be coming back...except now, it was harder. He clasped Caspian's hand in his own, and inclined his head to Sir Gregory. He turned to face his siblings and Rose.

"I'll see you soon, I suppose."

**PARAGRAPH**

Sir Gregory had opted to return to Narnia, while Caspian described the situation at length to Edmund, Rose and Lucy. Now that the knights had been found and freed, and Brody had been destroyed, they could go after the seven lords who had vanished from Narnia when Miraz had become King.

Lucy's fingers brushed over the map. "Well, what's east of the Lone Islands?"

This was the direction they would be travelling in. Rose could feel the thrill of adventure welling up within her once again. Of course, she was sad to have lost Mitchell and Robert – but they dared not mention it in front of Lucy, from whose mind Robert's existence had been erased.

"Uncharted waters," Drinian replied, "Things you could barely imagine. Tales of sea serpents, and worse."

Lucy appeared troubled, but Edmund was grinning, clearly disbelieving.

"Sea serpents?" he replied, with the hint of laughter in his voice.

"Alright, Captain," Caspian sounded amused as well, "That's enough of your tall tales."

Lucy turned to glance at Rose as they filed out of the captain's quarters. She looked half-worried, half-amused.

"Do you really think there are sea serpents?"

Rose shrugged. "I've no idea. But it's Narnia, Lu. Anything could happen."

**PARAGRAPH**

Edmund and Caspian were duelling on the deck. Rose and Lucy were watching, along with the rest of the crew, utterly fascinated. Both were incredibly talented swordsman, and Rose was at a loss to guess who would win.

"They're brilliant, aren't they?" Lucy said in amazement.

Rose laughed. "Oh, they're boys, Lu. It's their way of assuming masculine supremacy."

Lucy frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Rose was grinning. "It means they're trying to see who is the manlier of the two of them."

The crew was cheering loudly, and even Edmund was smiling as Caspian pressed Rhindon to his collarbone, having won the fight – although it had been a close thing.

"You've grown stronger, my friend," Caspian remarked.

Edmund nodded. "It seems I have."

"Alright, back to work!" called Drinian. He was all for letting his crew have fun every now and again, but the show was over and it was time to return to their assigned tasks.

One of the crew handed Edmund a drink of water, clearly assuming that he would be tired after the duel.

"Thank you."

He moved over to where Rose and Lucy stood, laughing together. They quietened as he approached, although they were both still smiling wickedly.

"It would seem that Caspian is the manlier of the two of you," Rose teased.

Edmund shook his head in mock despair, but he was grinning, too.

"Edmund," Lucy's tone was serious now, "Do you think if we keep sailing to the end of the world...we'll just...tip off the edge?"

Edmund placed a brotherly hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Lu. We're a long way from there."

It was at that moment that Eustace decided to make his arrival. Rose scowled across at him, making it clear that she disapproved of his presence. He studiously ignored her.

"I see you're still talking nonsense, the three of you."

"Are you feeling better?" Lucy asked kindly.

Eustace folded his arms. "Yes, no thanks to you. It's lucky I have an iron constitution."

Rose wanted to hit him. Lucy was just being thoughtful towards him and he had to go and be mean again. If only Eustace knew the truth of what Lucy had suffered, the pain she couldn't even remember...

"As effervescent as ever, I see," Reepicheep mused, clambering up into the rigging. "Find your sea legs?"

"Never lost them," Eustace snapped in retort. "I'm still dealing with the shock of things. Mother says I have an acute disposition, due to my intelligence."

Edmund choked and spluttered into his cup.

"I don't think he has a cute anything," Reepicheep added.

**PARAGRAPH**

Upon reaching one of the Lone Islands, it was quite clear that things weren't as they should be. There wasn't a Narnian flag in sight, and once the crew made landfall, it became obvious that there were also no _people_ in sight.

The bells rang out from the tower at the top of the hill, and Edmund, Caspian, Rose, Lucy and Eustace moved up to investigate. Edmund suggested that Eustace guard – which made Rose fight back giggles, as she was pretty sure Eustace couldn't guard anything – and Caspian handed him a dagger as the four of them moved into the bell tower.

They moved into the darkened bell tower with their swords drawn, apart from Caspian who had hefted up his crossbow. All four of them were prepared for danger, but there was no one in sight.

"I'm ready to go when you are," Eustace called from outside.

There was a book on the table in the centre, with an ink pot positioned beside it. Edmund shone his torch down on it and they all looked over it with concern.

"Who are all these people?" Lucy asked, for they were clearly names etched down and crossed out on the pages.

"Why have they been crossed out?" Edmund questioned.

"It looks like some kind of...fee," Lucy replied, glancing at the numbers jotted down beside each crossed out person's name.

"Slave traders," Caspian muttered.

The bells started ringing then, and right on cue, men slid down and dropped to the ground all around them. Rose immediately charged at them with her sword as they converged on her. Lucy and Edmund fought just as valiantly as she did, while Caspian used his crossbow to bring a few of the men down.

A piercing scream stopped them all in their tracks. The doors closed and there was a man walking across the room, a dagger pressed to Eustace's throat.

"Unless you wanna hear this one squeal like a girl again, I'd say you should drop your weapons."

Eustace muttered something incomprehensible, but the man just pressed the dagger tighter, making him wince.

"Now!"

All four of them dropped their weapons reluctantly, bitter looks on their faces. Edmund glowered across at his cousin.

"Eustace," he spat.

"Put 'em in iron," the man holding Eustace said, grabbing the boy by the ear, and the slave traders moved forward to shackle the group.

"Get your hands off me," snapped Lucy. "Let go!"

"Let's take these three to market," the man with Eustace indicated Rose and Lucy, the former of who was struggling furiously as the shackles were clamped around her wrists. The man then pointed at Caspian and Edmund. "Send those two to the dungeons."

"Listen to me, you insolent fool," Caspian shouted as he was dragged forward by a group of slavers, "I am your King!"

Rose cried out as the trader tightened the shackles painfully around her wrists. Edmund glanced across at her with wide eyes and struggled against his captors, trying to reach her – only to be struck harshly across the face.

"You're going to pay for that," he snarled as the man grabbed him roughly.

"Actually, someone else is going to pay," A man emerged from the shadows, middle-aged and looking somewhat like a gypsy, "For all of you."

"No! Edmund!" screamed Lucy, struggling against her captors. Rose fought just as wildly as she, Lucy and Eustace were dragged back.

"Lucy! Rose!" Edmund shouted.

"Edmund! No! Edmund!" Lucy started sobbing as they dragged out of the bell tower, while Edmund and Caspian were pulled in the opposite direction.

**PARAGRAPH**

Morning came and Rose's heart was beating a fast pattern in her chest as Lucy was sold off, and then Eustace was dragged up to the podium. Unsurprisingly, no one really seemed to want to buy him.

"I'll take them off your hands." It was a cloaked man and suddenly, Rose recognized the voice emitting from underneath the hood. "I'll take them _all_ off your hands!"

The man lowered his hood. It was Drinian, with Reepicheep on his shoulder. Others around the courtyard lowered their hoods, too, and Rose's heart soared as she recognized the _Dawn Treader_ crew. Drinian quickly moved over and cut her chains, and she offered him a smile and a 'thank you' as he pressed her sword into her hands.

Then Rose was fighting as she always had, ducking and kicking and whirling as she fought off the traders that were determined to suppress her. It wasn't long before the people of the island fought back, and the traders were soon detained.

"Rose!"

She whirled around and recognized the dark-haired boy running towards her. Edmund swept her up in his arms and whirled her around, clearly glad that she was safe. He put her down and examined her critically.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded and offered him a smile. "Yes. I'm just glad that everything's okay now."


	23. Temptation

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Temptation**

Edmund explained everything. From the dungeons, he and Caspian had seen a boatful of people sacrificed to a green mist, and they'd both agreed that the mist most likely had something to do with the disappearance of the lords.

One of them, Lord Bernard, had been imprisoned in the dungeons with them. He had been the old man who had given Caspian the sword Edmund now carried, the sword he claimed was from the Golden Age.

Now they had sailed even further east – the direction in which the remaining lords had most likely gone – and happened upon another island. This one was large and clearly swarming with native wildlife.

"It looks uninhabited," Caspian remarked as he put down the telescope, "But if the lords followed the mist east, they would have stopped here."

"It could be a trap," Drinian warned.

"Or it could hold some answers," Edmund contradicted, "Caspian?"

"We'll spend the night on shore," Caspian replied, putting away the telescope, "And scour the island in the morning."

**PARAGRAPH**

Rose was sitting by the campfire with her knees tucked underneath her chin, clearly unable to sleep. Edmund watched her, wondering why she looked so worried. He moved over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, eliciting a shocked gasp from her. She whirled around, tense, but relaxed when she saw it was only Edmund.

"Oh, Ed. You startled me."

"Sorry." He sat down beside her. "What do you suppose has happened to the other six lords?"

Rose looked out across the water, glimmering in the moonlight. "I'm not sure. Perhaps they're dead, but maybe they're not."

Edmund put his arm around her, drawing her close.

"Are you alright? You seem...concerned?"

She blinked in surprise. "Why? Aren't you?" She sighed heavily. "There's something dark out there, Edmund. I can feel it."

He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her hair tickling his face. He was troubled, too – but he wouldn't have admitted it as Rose had done. He exhaled deeply and Rose felt his breath on her cheek as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Edmund leaned back and lay down. Rose lingered over him, her hair falling in his face as she deepened the kiss.

She gasped as Edmund trailed his lips down her neck and slowly brushed his lips down to her shoulder. Rose knew that it wasn't sensible doing this here. Despite the fact that everyone else was asleep, she didn't want to risk it. As much as Edmund's kisses set her nerves on fire, she gently pushed him away.

"Not now," she whispered through the darkness, "We're not alone, remember?"

Edmund's eyes were gleaming with lust, but he nodded. Rose breathed in, knowing she probably wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. She made to move back to where she'd set up her bed, but Edmund clutched her arm.

"Rose. You can stay here, if you can't sleep."

She smiled, glad for his comfort and his warmth.

**PARAGRAPH**

Caspian was the first awake, and clearly something was wrong. He stopped by Edmund and Rose, who lay sleeping beside each other. Rose's head was resting on Edmund's shoulder and his fingers were entwined in her hair. For a moment, he smiled, not wanting to wake them up...but he knew he must.

"Ed." He leaned down to shake the boy awake. "Ed, wake up."

Edmund groaned and Rose woke, too. Her face flushed with embarrassment and she rolled away from Edmund, standing to her feet and patting the sand off of her. The boys were looking at sets of giant footprints in the sand when she finally looked up.

"Where's Lucy?" Edmund asked suddenly.

"Lucy!" Rose called, but of course there was no answer.

Everybody got up and started clambering to their feet. Edmund and Rose were filled with alarm. Lucy was missing and something was very wrong. They all snatched up their weapons and belongings and started running up from the beach.

Soon they were moving through a beautiful garden with strange bushes. Although the birds were singing, Rose still knew something was not right. Where was Lucy? She wouldn't have just wandered off without telling someone.

Edmund knelt down and picked something up off the ground.

"Caspian, it's Lucy's dagger."

Suddenly, spears plunged into the ground around them. Rose threw her arms around her head as if that could protect her. The sword was quickly wrenched from her hand, and she was knocked aside. The same thing was happening to the other. Rose looked around, but there was no one in sight.

"Stop right there, or perish!"

Someone was definitely there. Most likely, these things, whatever they were, were invisible.

"What sort of creatures are you?" Caspian called from the ground.

"Big ones," called the deep, scratchy voice, "With the head of a tiger and the body of, umm..."

"A different tiger!" a higher-pitched voice piped up.

The other voices agreed.

"You don't want to mess with us," the leader, the one with the deeper voice, threatened.

Rose's eyes narrowed and she stood up. "Or what?"

There were gasps of shock.

"It's another girl!"

Rose was confused. It was almost as if they'd never seen a girl before. And yet...they had said _another _girl. So evidently, they must have seen Lucy.

"Didn't you hear what she said?" Edmund demanded, "Or what?"

Suddenly, the creatures became visible. They were tiny, pot-bellied men with one big foot each. They were standing on each others' shoulders to give the impression of tallness.

Numerous threats were made, but somehow, Rose couldn't take it seriously when they were coming from a group of such strange-looking creatures.

"You mean, squash us with your fat bellies. Or tickle us with your toes?"

The creatures looked down at themselves with shock, clearly surprised that they had turned visible again. The _Dawn Treader_ crew snatched up their weapons. Edmund gripped his sword and pointed it at the leader.

"What have you done with my sister, you little pipsqueak?"

The leader looked nervous. "Now, calm down."

"Where is she?" Edmund demanded.

"You'd better tell him!" cried another of the creatures.

"In the mansion," the leader replied.

Edmund frowned. "What mansion?"

Rose looked around and quickly saw a mansion becoming visible. It was very large and she pointed a finger at it. "Look!"

"Oh. _That _mansion."

Eustace stumbled out of the bushes, brushing leaves off himself, at the same moment a bearded old man exited the mansion with Lucy by his side. She wasn't looking afraid, so Rose guessed he was a friend. The creatures started calling him an oppressor, but he scared them away by throwing lint at them. Apparently they were called Dufflepuds.

**PARAGRAPH**

The old man, called Coriakin, requested that they accompany him into his mansion, where he apparently had vital information for them.

"What did you mean when you said you made them invisible for their own good?" Lucy inquired.

"It seemed the easiest way to protect them from the evil," Coriakin replied.

"You mean the mist?" Edmund asked as they strode along the dimly lit corridor of Coriakin's mansion.

"I mean what lies behind the mist."

He showed them all into a library, the likes of which Rose had never seen before. She looked up, admiring the ceiling where patches of stars glimmered, circling around the ceiling, and books floated around of their own volition. She could just tell that the place was crawling with magic.

Coriakin unravelled a huge map that spread the length of the floor. They all looked down upon it, and Rose was fascinated by the re-enactment of the Battle of Beruna in one of the corners.

"It's quite beautiful," Eustace admitted, and then seemed to catch himself, "I mean, for a make-believe map of a make-believe world."

"There is the source of your troubles." Coriakin lifted his hand and the very real looking water and clouds in the middle of the map shifted, revealing a place of darkness and surrounded by green mist. Rose shivered at the sight of it.

"Dark Island." It didn't take a genius to figure out why it was called that. "A place where evil lurks."

Everyone else was observing the place with just as much dread as Rose felt. Edmund's eyes were wide as he looked down upon it.

"It can take any form," Coriakin turned to look at him, walking towards him, "It can make your darkest dreams come true. It seeks to corrupt all goodness, to steal the light from this world."

_Oh, no..._

Rose had seen the darkness inside all of her friends during the Golden Age. She had learned that Peter would do anything to retain his pride, that even Susan was capable of cold-blooded murder, that Edmund's lust for power was only the beginning, that only even Lucy could fall...

Lucy looked determined. "How do we stop it?"

Coriakin turned to her. "You must break its spell." He pointed at the sword by Edmund's side. "That sword you carry, there are six others."

"Have you seen them?" Edmund asked.

"Yes." Coriakin nodded.

"The six lords," Caspian muttered, then raised his voice, "They passed through here?"

"Indeed." Coriakin inclined his head.

"Where were they headed?" Caspian couldn't help but ask.

Coriakin turned with a swirl of his cloak.

"Where I sent them. To break the spell, you must follow the blue star to Ramandu's Island. There the seven swords must be laid at Aslan's table. Only then can their true magical power be released."

Caspian turned to glance at Drinian. All of the others had troubled looks upon their faces. Rose could sense the darkness. It wasn't here yet...but it was coming.

"But beware," Coriakin cautioned, "You are all about to be tested."

"Tested?" Lucy echoed.

Coriakin paced towards her.

"Until you lay down the seventh sword, evil has the upper hand. It will do everything in its power to tempt you."

Rose gulped and glanced at Edmund. His jaw was working, but he still looked anxious.

"Be strong," Coriakin told them, "Don't fall to temptation. To defeat the darkness out there, you must defeat the darkness inside yourself."

Rose found herself struggling to breathe. Why did this remind her so much of when Brody had tested them all, brought out their inner darkness? She didn't know if she could handle something like that again, but she knew she must.

**PARAGRAPH**

It was stormy weather and the _Dawn Treader_ was rocking violently from side to side. Rose staggered down the steps and nearly cannoned into Edmund, who caught her by the arms and steadied her.

"Sorry."

"That's alright. You okay?"

She smiled tightly and nodded. "Just a little seasick."

The ship lurched and tipped so that Edmund fell to the ground. Rose tumbled and landed in a heap on top of him. She flushed as he stood, grabbing her around the waist and helping her to her feet.

"Oh, this is terrible weather," she groaned, trying not to think about Edmund's warm hands around her waist.

"I couldn't agree more," sighed Edmund, "But there's no good in cursing it." He cleared his throat and released her. "You must be tired. I shan't bother you any longer. Lucy might still be awake if you go in there."

Rose nodded and moved into Caspian's quarters, which she now shared with Lucy and a girl named Gayle who must have been around ten or eleven years old. Gayle was asleep, but Lucy had thrown a piece of paper into the fire.

"What was that?" Rose asked.

The younger girl looked up, shocked and guilty. She saw Rose and pressed her hands over her face.

"Oh, Rose...it was awful...I just wanted to be like Susan..."

Rose frowned. "Whatever are you talking about?"

Lucy explained. She'd stolen a page from Coriakin's spell book, hoping it would turn her as beautiful as Susan – only to realize how awful things were when she wasn't herself. Aslan had come to her in the dream, telling her that she doubted her value. When she'd woken up, the first Lucy had wanted to do was throw the page into the fire.

"He's right," Rose murmured, sliding down onto the floor beside Lucy and putting her arm around her friend's shoulders, "You're lovely just the way you are, Lu. We wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you."

Lucy shook her head slowly. "It's alright for you, Rose. You've always had the boys at your beck and call. First it was Peter and now it's Edmund. You can't exactly complain."

There was a bitter note in her voice, before she sighed and screwed her eyes shut.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. It's just...I don't know. I can't sleep, Rose."

Rose nodded sympathetically. "Perhaps we should go see if any of the others are awake. Edmund was in the corridor just before. Maybe he's not asleep yet."

Lucy gnawed at her lip. "I wouldn't want to bother him."

Rose couldn't help but smile. "Since when has that stopped you?"

They ventured into the sleeping quarters that Edmund and Caspian shared, both of them lying down on hammocks. Edmund had drawn his sword, an expression of horror on his face.

"Edmund," whispered Lucy.

He started and then closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

"Lucy. Rose."

Lucy sat down on the end of Edmund's hammock, while Rose lingered behind her. Caspian sat up and glanced around him.

"I...I can't sleep," Lucy told her brother.

"Let me guess," Edmund's tone was dark, "Bad dreams."

Lucy looked down with a guilty expression. That was answer enough for Edmund.

"So either we're all going mad...or something's playing with our minds."

He lay back on his hammock, his eyes troubled, as he still clutched at the hilt of his sword as if expecting an attack.

**PARAGRAPH**

The next island they came across was not a pretty place at all. It was barren and there were chances it was volcanic. However, they were running low on rations and there was a need to investigate, just in case the other lords had come this way.

Caspian charged Reepicheep with seeing if he could find anything useful, while he, Edmund, Lucy and Rose went to see if they could find any sign of the lords. There was a rope tied around a rock, descending down a large hole.

"Look!" called Caspian, "We're not the first ones on this island."

"The lords," Edmund replied hopefully.

"Could be," Caspian muttered, glancing down the hole. When he couldn't see the extent of its depth, he grabbed a small stone and threw it down. It didn't look like it went down too far. "What do you think could be down there?"

"Let's find out," Edmund replied, and insisted that he be the first to clamber down the rope. Rose was the next to climb down after him, before Caspian and Lucy descended after her.

Edmund was staring down at a gold statue in the water when the others caught up with him.

"What's that?" Caspian asked as he approached.

"I don't know. It looks like some sort of gold statue."

Edmund pulled a twig off the side of the cavern wall and stuck it into the water. It turned to gold and Edmund cried out in alarm and tossed it aside to avoid turning to gold himself. The others stared at it in amazement.

Caspian glanced back down at the man with astonishment, realizing what must have happened.

"He must have fallen in."

"Poor man," Lucy stated.

Rose looked down at the gold shield. "You mean, poor lord – look, there's his sword."

"We need it," agreed Caspian.

Edmund drew his own sword, reaching down with it and using it to pull the second sword out of the water. He handed it to Caspian. Only Rose noticed the green mist swirling in the water beneath them. Her eyes widened.

"Your sword hasn't turned to gold," Lucy pointed out to Edmund.

"Both the swords are magical." Caspian muttered.

Lucy stared down at the lord with a sympathetic expression on his face.

"He mustn't have known what hit him."

Edmund leaned down, putting down his sword.

"Maybe. Or maybe he was onto something."

Caspian frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Rose watched with growing apprehension as Edmund knelt, grabbing a shell and scooping up water in it. He carefully set it down and watched with wide eyes as it turned to gold. Edmund picked up the shell – now made of solid gold – and raised it up to eye level with an awed expression.

"What are you staring at?" Lucy asked of him.

Edmund's mouth was open in a gape of wonder. He didn't take his eyes off the shell for a moment. Rose could see it clearly now – the greed that sparkled in his dark eyes...and she was afraid of it.

"Whoever has access to this pool could be the most powerful person in the world."

Caspian and Lucy exchanged troubled glances, while Rose took a few steps away from Edmund. She could see what was getting into him and she knew what it meant. She had seen the mist.

Edmund turned to face his sister now.

"Lucy, we'd be so rich. No one could tell us what to do, or who to live with."

Rose swung around to glance at her younger friend. As she expected, Lucy was looking shocked at what Edmund was saying.

"You can't take anything out of Narnia, Edmund," Caspian told him.

Edmund scoffed. "Says who?"

Caspian turned deadly serious. "I do."

Edmund finally looked up at him and there was something very dark in his eyes, something that made a shiver run down Rose's spine. This wasn't Edmund. She could only watch as Edmund clambered to his feet, clutching the shell in one hand and his sword in the other.

"I'm not your subject."

He advanced on Caspian, who was watching Edmund with a contemptuous expression on his face.

"You've been waiting for this, haven't you? To challenge me. You doubt my leadership."

Edmund stepped forward so that he was standing face to face with Caspian.

"You doubt yourself," he spat.

"You're a child," Caspian retorted coldly. There was something in his eyes now and Rose knew this was what Coriakin had warned them about. The darkness inside the two boys was emerging.

"And you're a spineless sap," Edmund hissed, his eyes glittering.

"Edmund..." Rose reached for him, and suddenly he lunged, grabbing her by the wrist and drawing her to him. He wrapped one strong arm around her waist and pressed his sword to her throat. She gasped in shock, wondering what he was playing at.

"What are you...?"

She was cut off as he pressed the sword closer to her throat, pulling her tighter against his chest like a hostage. She struggled in his grasp, trying to remove his arm from around her waist, but his grip was like iron.

Caspian's eyes were dark. "Let her go, Edmund."

Edmund ignored him, his eyes blazing with anger.

"I'm tired of playing second fiddle," he snapped at Caspian, "First it was Peter, and now it's you."

Rose was filled with a growing sense of dread. Lucy had her hands clapped over her mouth in shock, but she made no move to reach for her friend in case Edmund did something stupid.

"You know I'm braver than both of you," Edmund continued, his voice hard, "Why do you get Peter's sword? I deserve a kingdom of my own! I deserve to rule!"

"You were always jealous of your brother," Caspian retorted, having looked darkly amused all through Edmund's rant, "You've always wanted what he had. His kingdom, his sword...even his girl." His eyes rested on Rose, who Edmund still held captive. "If you think you're so brave...prove it!"

Edmund tossed Rose carelessly aside, charging forward so that his sword clashed with Caspian's. The two of them lunged, but Lucy quickly hurried between them.

"No! Stop it. Both of you." She looked distraught. "Look at yourselves. Can't you see what's happening? This place has tempted you. It's bewitching you. This is exactly what Coriakin was talking about. Let's just get out of here."

She marched off, Rose close behind her. She didn't even look at Edmund as she passed. Edmund stared down at the gold shell and after only a moment's hesitation, tossed it back into the water.


	24. Dragons and Stars

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Dragons and Stars**

Edmund, Rose, Caspian and Lucy marched back down towards the boats. Lucy seemed to have forgiven Edmund and Caspian for their fight, but Rose couldn't. Not when Edmund, the boy she loved, had grabbed her and held her prisoner. Even if he had been corrupted by the mist and by greed, she was finding it hard to forgive him for that.

"Where's Eustace?" Lucy asked, glancing around.

"I believe he's out helping us not load the boats," Reepicheep replied dryly.

"Eustace!" Lucy's expression was concerned and Rose couldn't restrain an exasperated sigh. After the incident in the cave, this was the last thing they needed right now. "Eustace!"

After a moment of looking around, the ground hissing and rumbling, Lucy turned back to face Edmund with a desperate expression on her face.

"Edmund, I've got a bad feeling..."

He nodded, gripping the hilt of his sword. "I'll go find him."

Caspian glanced across at Edmund. "I'll come with you."

Edmund turned to offer him a puzzled glance. Rose didn't know if this was the best idea considering what had happened in the cave, but she kept her mouth closed. She wasn't volunteering to go with them.

**PARAGRAPH**

Back on the ship, a sudden roar made everyone quieten and glance back towards the island. Lucy turned to face Drinian where she had been standing with Gayle with a worried look about her face.

"What was that?"

Gayle turned around as fire emitted from the island, a plume of rising towards the sky.

"Is it the volcano?"

"Oh no," Drinian replied, a look of dread on his face, "That's no volcano."

He moved down onto the main deck, while Rose glanced in bewilderment at the two younger girls.

"Then what is it?"

"Archers," Drinian yelled, "Arm yourselves."

Rose gripped the railing and looked towards the island. This definitely could not be good. A dragon shot up from the island and flew towards them, circling the ship and roaring, breathing fire. Rose's mouth opened in a gape of disbelief.

The archers fired at the dragon, and the ship rocked around as the beast gripped the mast in its talons. Reepicheep climbed nimbly up the mast, slashing the dragon's claws so that it bellowed in pain and retreated back towards the island.

After a few moments, it returned – and it wasn't alone. Rose's heart hammered with horror as she recognized that dark-haired boy in its grasp. Lucy clutched the railing, looking scared.

"Edmund!" she shrieked.

"Lucy," Edmund yelled back as the dragon circled with him, before heading back towards the island once more. Rose wondered what exactly was going on, and she was filled with dread for Edmund.

**PARAGRAPH**

They stood on the island once more, while Eustace the dragon scratched at the golden bracelet around its wrist. Rose hadn't been able to believe it when Edmund had told them.

"He must have been tempted by the treasure," Edmund mused.

Rose shot him a look, but said nothing. _He wasn't the only one._

"Well anyone knows a dragon's treasure is enchanted," Caspian pointed out. An unpleasant look came over Eustace's face and he quickly changed tack. "Well anyone from...here."

Lucy threw him a despairing glance, before she moved past the others to Eustace and quickly pulled the bracelet off him. He yowled in pain.

"Is there any way to change him back?"

Caspian glanced at the dragon. "Not that I know of."

Eustace looked pleadingly at all of them, but no one seemed to have any answers. Caspian gave Rose a questioning look, clearly wondering whether her powers might accomplish it, but she shook her head fervently.

"Aunt Alberta will not be pleased."

The dragon's eyes narrowed and he growled threateningly.

"The boats are ready, sire," bellowed Tavros the Minotaur.

Lucy looked over the others, a determined glint in her eyes.

"We can't leave him here alone," she said, talking about Eustace.

Drinian sighed. "We can't bring him on board, your Majesty."

Caspian handed the captain one of the swords. "Drinian, you and the others take one boat back. The rest of us will stay here until morning...and work out what to do."

**PARAGRAPH**

"I've never seen these constellations before," Edmund commented as he lay on his back, looking up at the brilliant night sky. The stars glimmered above them, otherworldly watchers. They were so _beautiful_...but the real reason he was talking was to break the tension that had developed due to the fight in the cave earlier, the fight that had brought out the darkness within he and Caspian.

"Me neither," replied Caspian, "We're a long way from home. When I was a boy, I used to imagine sailing to the end of the world...finding my father there."

Edmund looked up across at him. "Maybe you will."

He looked back up at the stars, and for a few moments there was silence between the pair of them. He sighed and sat up, knowing that they couldn't just not talk about what had happened.

"Caspian...about earlier...I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry. I never meant to say those things. I just – I don't know what came over me."

Caspian sighed heavily. "It's like Coriakin said. The darkness inside all of us is coming out. You weren't the only one, Edmund. I said some horrible things as well. We're both just as guilty as each other. It's like...first it was Peter, and he was the same age as me...I'm not used to having an equal younger than me."

They had both apologized, but Edmund knew that wasn't the end of it. He lay back with a sigh.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," Caspian said quietly, glancing across at the sleeping Protector.

Edmund squeezed his eyes shut and groaned. He felt incredibly guilty about what he'd done. What he'd said to Caspian was one thing – except then he'd gone a step further and used Rose as a hostage. He had threatened her life and that was simply unacceptable. He would not wake her while she slept...but when morning came, there was no doubt that he would have to confront her and sort things out.

"I never meant to hurt her."

"I know," Caspian replied, "And I'm sure Rose knows that as well. I can't know what was running through your head, but it was the same darkness that held me under its spell. All you need to do is say sorry. I'm sure she'll understand."

**PARAGRAPH**

"Everybody! Everybody, wake up!"

Lucy's cry roused Rose from her sleep and she sat bolt upright, rubbing her eyes and reaching for her sword, prepared for danger...

"It's the blue star!" Lucy exclaimed.

The only problem was once they returned to the _Dawn Treader_, there was no breeze. It was almost as if something didn't want them to get to Ramandu's island. That was until Eustace wrapped his tail around the figurehead and started towing the ship, much to the delight of the crew.

Edmund sought Rose out while he had the chance. She stood at the railing a little apart from everyone else, watching as Eustace towed the ship. He placed a hand on her shoulder and spun her around. Her eyes widened.

"Edmund."

"Rose, we need to talk."

She jerked out of his grasp, averting her hazel eyes.

"We don't need to talk about anything."

She stomped off down the stairs, heading towards the room she and Lucy shared, but Edmund was not deterred. He stalked after her, dark eyes blazing with determination. She whirled around and made for the door when she realized he'd followed her in, but Edmund slammed it closed and leaned on it, just as he'd done to Eustace back in England.

"Rose, listen to me."

She shook her head and made to push him aside, but he grabbed her by the arms and whirled her around, his dark eyes sparking dangerously as he slammed her into the wall.

"Listen to me!" he shouted.

Rose flinched and then she was crying and fighting him weakly, straining to get out of his grasp. His eyes widened as he realized that in his attempts to make her hear him out, he had scared her.

"Let me go, Edmund," she cried, before her voice rose into a scream, "Somebody, help me!"

Edmund sighed heavily. "Please. I just want you to hear me. I'm sorry about what I did in the cave. I know that I threatened your life and that was terrible of me. I never meant to hurt you and I'm sorry that I did. I understand if you hate me now, but I just wanted you to know that I never wanted that. The darkness...it affected Caspian and I."

Rose had stopped struggling now. The tears still tracked down her cheeks, but after a moment, she was nodding. Edmund released her and cupped her face in his hand, leaning forward to kiss her. Rose wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back just as passionately.

The door banged open and Caspian and Drinian both stood there, swords in their hands. Edmund and Rose quickly broke apart and she realized that they must have heard her screaming. Caspian laughed shakily as he lowered his sword and turned to grin at Drinian.

"It's just a lovers' tiff."

**PARAGRAPH**

Night had fallen by the time the crew made their way onto Ramandu's island, crossing stone bridges and passing waterfalls. Edmund led the way with his torch. Rose glanced around her, wondering at the beauty of the place – yet there was no doubting it might also be deadly.

They happened upon a stone table laden with food, but they all paced around it suspiciously.

"Mmm, food..." grumbled Tavros, but Drinian thrust out a hand to stop him.

"Wait."

Edmund stepped back with a gasp and everyone drew their weapons. At the very end of the stone table sat three old man, entwined with vines and branches and the like. Edmund and Caspian moved closer when it was clear the men weren't moving.

It quickly became clear that they were three of the seven lords. Lucy stepped backwards, her eyes wide.

"He's breathing," Caspian remarked, sounding puzzled.

Edmund shone his torch over the other two men. Their beards moved gently and Rose could tell that they were alive.

"So are they. They're under a spell."

Caspian quickly whipped around to face the crew. "It's the food!"

Several crewmembers dropped food to the ground or placed their hands over their stomachs. Edmund leaned forward to look closer at something on the table.

"Hey. It's the stone knife. This is Aslan's Table!"

"Their swords..." muttered Caspian, and there was a mad fossicking as Lucy, Rose and Edmund leaned forward to grab the swords of the three lords, before casting them down on the table.

"That's six," Edmund pointed out.

"We're still missing one," Caspian muttered, before the six swords on the table suddenly started glowing blue.

Lucy glanced upwards. "Look!"

Everyone looked. Up in the sky, a star was descending from the heavens. Rose couldn't help but marvel at the sight. She had never seen anything like this, not even in Narnia. The star reached the ground and quickly formed into a beautiful blonde young woman, around the same age as Susan.

"Travellers of Narnia, welcome."

Everyone knelt to her, spellbound by her. Rose couldn't help but gape as well. She could understand why Lucy was envious of Susan when she looked upon this young woman.

"Arise," the young woman said, "Are you not hungry?"

Even Edmund looked stunned. "Who are you?"

The young woman started walking towards them.

"I am Lilliandil, daughter of Ramandu. I am your guide."

There was an expression of such rapt adoration on Edmund's face that Rose immediately felt sour. She elbowed him none too gently in the side and glowered at him.

"Stop drooling."

Edmund flushed and averted his gaze, as Caspian moved towards Lilliandil.

"You're a star."

She smiled and nodded.

Caspian observed her with a smile upon his own face.

"You are most beautiful."

Lilliandil looked shocked. "If it is a distraction for you, I can change form."

"No," Edmund and Caspian quickly replied in unison, before each of them glanced at the other.

Lucy looked across at Rose and rolled her eyes pointedly.

Appeased, Lilliandil raised her hands and the candles lit up. "Please. The food is for you. There is enough for all who are welcome at Aslan's Table. Always. Help yourselves."

The hungry crew reached for the food, but Edmund was suspicious.

"Wait. What happened to them?" He shone his torch upon the three lords.

"These poor men were half-mad by the time they reached our shores," Lilliandil explained solemnly, "They were threatening violence upon each other. Violence is, of course, forbidden at the table of Aslan. So they were sent to sleep."

Lucy looked worried. "Will they ever wake?"

Lilliandil smiled across at her. "When all is put right. Come, there is little time."

Edmund, Lucy, Caspian and Rose followed her as the crew sated their hunger and thirst at the table. They reached a ledge that overlooked the ocean beyond...and what they saw was not pretty.

"The magician Coriakin told you of Dark Island?"

"Yes," Caspian replied.

There it lay, just across the waters. It looked like a constant storm of clouds and green mist. Rose gulped and Edmund reached for her hand.

"Before long the evil will be unstoppable," Lilliandil's voice was quiet.

Caspian glanced at her. "Coriakin said to break its spell, we lay the seven swords at Aslan's Table."

"He speaks the truth," Lilliandil nodded, before her somber gaze rested once more upon Dark Island.

"But we only found six," Edmund remarked, "Do you know where the seventh is?"

Lilliandil pointed across the water to Dark Island. Rose shivered. It wasn't a pleasant place, even less so now that they would most likely have to go there. By the dread on Edmund and Lucy's faces, they felt the same way.

"In there. You will need great courage."

Lilliandil's expression was determined as she turned back to face them.

"Now waste no time."

Caspian was looking over at her with something in his eyes, something Rose had only seen once before – when he'd been looking at Susan.

"I hope we meet again."

Lilliandil smiled shyly and nodded. "Goodbye."

Then they were forced to step back and shield their eyes from the brightness as Lilliandil morphed back into her star form and shot back up towards the heavens.


	25. His Protector

**Chapter Twenty-Four: His Protector**

They approached Dark Island in the morning. Everyone was on edge. Rose was filled with apprehension as she glanced at their destination. She wasn't looking forward to this, but she knew it had to be done. This was their final stand, she had no doubt of that.

"So, what do you think is in there?" Tavros asked, breaking the silence.

"Our worst nightmares," Edmund replied.

"Our darkest wishes," Caspian sounded troubled.

"Pure evil," Drinian commented from where he gripped the wheel. He moved over towards the Minotaur. "Tavros, unlock the armoury." He raised his voice to a shout. "Archers, prepare yourselves!"

Caspian turned to face Edmund, Lucy and Rose. "Let's get ready."

**PARAGRAPH**

Rose moved back onto the deck, garbed in her armour, and Edmund couldn't help but stare at her. Of course, he had thought Lilliandil lovely – but Rose was beautiful in his eyes. She was the one he loved and he looked across at her with wonder in his eyes. Rose joined him on the deck, surprised to see he had Rhindon sheathed by his side.

"But..."

"Caspian gave it to me," Edmund told her, unable to stop himself from swelling with pride, "He said that Peter would want me to have it."

Rose touched his arm. "He was right."

Caspian himself appeared on the deck, and everyone else quietened to look up at him. Their King looked strong and brave in his armour and Edmund and Rose, standing at the far side of the deck, marvelled.

"No matter what happens here, every soul who stands before me has earned their place on the crew of the _Dawn Treader_. Together, we have travelled far. Together, we have faced adversity. Together, we can do it again."

The crew remained silent. No one dared to speak.

"So now is not the time to fall to fear's temptations. Be strong. Never give in."

Edmund was looking up at Caspian with pride in his eyes, swallowing hard. Caspian was like an older brother to him, as much as Peter was. He reached for Rose's hand and grasped it in his own.

"Our world, our Narnian lives depend on it. Think of the lost souls we're here to save. Think of Aslan. Think of Narnia."

Caspian dropped his eyes and started descending the stairs, when a loud cry stopped him.

"For Narnia!"

Everyone else took up the cry, and soon the entire deck was full of the shouts. Filled with courage and hope, Rose turned to smile at Edmund and squeezed his hand. His dark eyes were full of emotions and he leaned in suddenly and kissed her on the lips.

However, the atmosphere was tense as they moved through the mist into the 'island'. Everyone was silent, weapons at the ready. Edmund had released Rose's hand and stood tense.

A long, drawn-out shout emanated from the darkness. Everyone on the ship whirled around, looking for the source of the sound.

"Keep away! Keep away!"

Edmund shone his torch over the rocks – and there was an old man there, brandishing a sword that Rose recognized all too well. Edmund clearly did, too.

"Caspian. Caspian, his sword."

"Lord Rhoop," Caspian stated, moving towards the railing.

Eustace the dragon appeared out of the mist, lifted up a wailing Rhoop and put him unceremoniously on the deck of the ship.

"You should not have come," Rhoop told Caspian when he learned the truth of the young man's identity, "There's no way out of here. Quickly, turn this ship about before it's too late!"

Edmund looked serious. "We have the sword, let's go."

Caspian agreed. "Turn her about, Drinian."

"Do not think!" Rhoop cried suddenly, and Caspian whirled around to face him. Rose was beginning to think that this old man was quite mad. "Do not let it know your fears, or it will become them."

Edmund closed his eyes. "Oh no."

Lucy looked horrified as she turned to face her brother. "Edmund, what did you just think of?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Edmund raced over to the railing just as something disappeared beneath the water. Suddenly, the ship rocked violently and everyone on board fell to the deck.

Edmund pulled Lucy to her feet, just as Rose heard the high-pitched squealing sound that froze her blood. She whipped around to see a monstrous sea serpent towering over the ship.

Edmund used one arm to push Lucy behind him, holding up his sword – just as Eustace the dragon rocketed in and breathed fire at the towering sea beast. The serpent seized the dragon in its jaws and dived under the water with him. When it surfaced, it threw Eustace to the rocks. It attempted to attack again, but the dragon breathed fire into its face.

Rose watched with fascinated horror as the sea serpent writhed wildly, screeching loudly before diving back below the surface. Rhoop pushed everyone aside and threw his sword at Eustace, catching him in the shoulder. Rose whirled to face the old man with anger in her eyes, just as Eustace flew off, wounded.

"No, come back!" Lucy cried after him, but he paid her words no attention.

The ship rocked again as Rhoop gained possession of the wheel and Rose stumbled, cannoning into Edmund, who catch her in his arms and straightened her up as he had only nights ago. However, Drinian knocked Rhoop out and quickly took back command.

"Armed crew, to your rowing positions. Oars at double speed!"

**PARAGRAPH**

It wasn't long before the sea serpent emerged once more, only now it was angry as well. It threw itself across the deck and Rose screamed as Edmund knocked her aside to prevent her from being crushed. Her sword went clattering to the deck. The crew went plummeting in all directions.

_Why am I so powerless?_ She fumed to herself. _I'm supposed to be the Protector. I'm supposed to be able to do magic. But I can't do any of it!_

"Ed!" called Caspian, "Ed. We ram the serpent. Smash it into the rocks."

"Steer it to port," Edmund yelled back, "I'll keep it on the prowl."

Rose was forced to watch as Edmund clambered up towards the figurehead, just as Lucy ran back on deck with Susan's bow and arrows. Rose felt a surge of pride for the young girl.

Edmund slid into the figurehead's mouth and clicked on his torch. Rose gripped her sword tightly in her hand, her head tilted upwards as she watched him. Fear for Edmund coiled deep inside her, twisting her insides.

"Try and kill me, come on! Come on, I'm here!" Edmund shouted.

The serpent reared back and then lunged forward. In the fraction of time before it hit the figurehead – and Edmund – Rose felt the power rising within her once more. She threw down her swords and raised her hands to the sky as blue-purple magic shot forward between Edmund and the serpent.

"No!" screamed Lucy as the serpent's jaws clamped down over the figurehead.

"Edmund!" Caspian shouted from the wheel.

But when the serpent pulled back, Edmund was still inside the smashed figurehead. Rose smiled briefly and dropped her arms, feeling quite tired. Her power seemed to spend a lot of her energy...but it was worth it, because she had saved Edmund.

As Caspian spun the wheel, backing the serpent towards the rocks, Lucy pulled an arrow from the quiver and fitted it to the bow, stretching it out taut and directing it at the serpent's head.

Edmund clambered up to stand on top of the figurehead as the serpent snapped its jaws at him.

"I'm still here!" he yelled at it.

Lucy released the arrow and it whizzed with astounding accuracy towards the sea serpent, hitting it right in the face. It screamed in anger and pain, as a wide-eyed continued to back away from it.

"Brace yourself!" Caspian shouted from the wheel, as the figurehead rammed into the serpent and pinned it to the rock.

Rose watched with growing horror as Edmund was flung backwards by the force of the impact, bouncing off the serpent's coils and hitting the deck hard. He rolled and hit the broken mast, unconscious. Picking up her sword, she raced towards him, falling to her knees beside him.

"Edmund!"

He blinked up at her as he regained consciousness. Her hair was soaking wet and her eyes were wide with fear as she stroked his hair back from his head. He reached up and brushed her cheek with his fingers.

"You saved me."

Rose shook her head slowly. "This isn't over yet."

**PARAGRAPH**

The sea serpent had started to glow bright green, before it split and revealed thousands of bristles that quivered and twitched. Edmund clambered to his feet and stared up at it, spellbound.

"Move!" yelled Caspian, catching him and throwing him to the deck just before the serpent could crush him.

Caspian grabbed his sword as the serpent began to retreat, hacking off one of the bristles. It fell to the deck as the serpent screeched in fury, and as Rose watched, it dissolved into green mist.

Edmund and Caspian seemed to have realized the same thing.

"We can beat this."

They all looked up as the sea serpent clamped its jaws around the main mast, attempting to tear it down. Edmund staggered to his feet and turned to Rose, planting a quick kiss on her lips. She knew then that he was going to do something stupid.

"We have to get it closer."

He sprinted towards the railing and threw himself off, grabbing one of the ropes and swinging around to land in the rigging. He started climbing nimbly, and Caspian turned to Rose as Edmund made his way up.

"You're the Protector, Rose. You need to keep him safe."

Rose shook her head, gnawing her lip. "Caspian, I'm not sure I can do this..."

He gripped her by the shoulders. "You're one of the bravest people I know. Don't fall now. I _know_ you can do this."

Then he hurried off with a cry of, "Ready the harpoons!"

Rose moved over to the railing, salt sea water spraying her face as she looked up to where Edmund was climbing up the rigging. Caspian believed in her, and she knew Edmund and Lucy did too.

As the crew threw harpoons at the sea serpent, dragging it slowly but steadily down towards the deck, Rose raised her arms and felt the magic pouring from her as a blue-purple shield formed around the climbing Just King, protecting him from harm.

She watched as Caspian and the crew heaved at the harpoons, as Edmund finally clattered into the crow's nest far above them. Something was wrong, though. Edmund had turned and was facing the opposite direction from the serpent. He was staring openly and Rose felt terror envelop her.

"Edmund!" she cried, "What are you doing?"

**PARAGRAPH**

Up in the crow's nest, Edmund was having his own troubles. He whipped around as he heard a spine-chillingly familiar voice calling out to him. There she was – the White Witch.

"What are you trying to prove, Edmund? That you're a man?" Her tone was mocking.

Down the deck, Caspian was shouting, but Edmund seemed oblivious. What he was doing up there, Caspian didn't know...but he was beginning to worry. The serpent ripped free and some of the crew were dragged with it.

Rose flung herself to the deck to stop herself being crushed by a flying piece of railing – but her concentration had broken. Her shield around Edmund crackled and failed and now she knew he was a victim of the mist.

While the crew flailed around on the deck, Rose looked up, stumbling to her feet. Rhindon had started to glow blue, as Edmund looked down upon Peter's sword with amazement in his dark eyes. He turned and waved the sword at the serpent, urging it on – and then plunging it into the creature's mouth when it lunged.

Suddenly, the sky seemed to rip apart with lightning, as did the serpent. Rose stared up at the boy she loved with wonder in her eyes. _He _had accomplished this. Edmund stood on the crow's nest, staring down as the serpent plunged beneath the roiling waves.

The sky broke upon and the clouds were invaded by sudden, white light, shocking the crew of the _Dawn Treader_. Finally, the spell that the evil of Dark Island had held had been relinquished.


	26. There's A Place For Us

**Chapter Twenty-Five: There's A Place For Us**

**A/N: This is the last chapter. Wow, I'm going to miss writing this. I've been at it since I was what, fourteen – and I'm nearly seventeen now! This has probably been my biggest project to date on Fanfic, but now, sadly, it must come to an end. Of course, there will still be the one-shots – look out for them, they're mainly about the Pevensies and Rose in England – but I feel the same way I did when I realized after Dawn Treader that the Pevensies weren't coming back: greatly saddened. So before I get too sentimental, here's the last chapter. I hope you've enjoyed it.**

The mist had vanished, and when it did, there came the boats filled with lost Narnians. As Gayle and her father, Rhys, dived off the ship towards Gayle's mother, Edmund put one arm around Lucy and the other around Rose as he watched with a content expression on his face.

Suddenly, shouting alerted them to the fact that Eustace was in the water – and he was a boy again. Apparently, it had been him who had set down the seventh sword and that was why Rhindon had glowed blue.

"Look!" cried Reepicheep, and at the edge of the water, Rose could see it – a white expanse that could only be one thing...

"Aslan's country," Caspian muttered. "We must be close."

Edmund was grinning. "Well, we've come this far."

It was quickly established that Rose, Eustace, Caspian, Lucy, Edmund and Reepicheep would be taking a boat over, through the white lilies in the water. Rose ran her fingers through the water, admiring the lovely lilies as she sat in the small boat.

"So what was it like?" Edmund asked of Eustace, "When Aslan changed you back?"

Eustace shrugged. "No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't do it myself. Then he came towards me. It sort of hurt, but it was a good pain – like when you pull a sore from your foot. Being a dragon wasn't all bad. I mean, I think I was a better dragon than I was a boy, really. I'm so sorry for being such a sop."

"It's okay, Eustace," Edmund replied from where he and Caspian were working the oars, "You were a pretty good dragon."

At the front of the boat, Reepicheep turned to face them.

"My friends, we have arrived."

Rose looked up and gasped. It was an amazing sight. The water was curling upwards in one huge wave, but it didn't crash down. It just stayed that way, and she marvelled at how wonderful it looked.

They clambered out at the shoreline and strode towards the wave, amazement written upon all of their faces.

"Aslan," Eustace said suddenly, and the rest of them all whirled around. Indeed, there was the Great Lion himself.

"Welcome, children. You have done well. Very well indeed. You have come far, and now your journey is at its end."

Lucy looked at first Rose, then Edmund.

"Is this your country?" she asked.

"No," replied Aslan, "My country lies beyond."

"Is my father in your country?" Caspian asked quietly.

Aslan turned his golden eyes upon the King of Narnia.

"You can only find that out for yourself, my son. But you should know that if you continue, there is no return."

Caspian moved tentatively forwards, plunging his hand into the ever-curling wave. Rose didn't know whether he would actually do it or not, yet she didn't find herself surprised when he turned away. Caspian's eyes were full of tears, but he did not cry.

"You're not going?" Edmund asked him.

"I can't imagine my father would be very proud that I gave up what he died for," Caspian replied solemnly. "I've spent too long wanting what was taken from me and not what was given. I was given a kingdom. People."

He moved towards Aslan and in that moment, Rose was so proud of him. He looked every inch the King of Narnia.

"I promise to be a better King."

"You already are," mused Aslan. He turned to the others. "Children."

Lucy stepped forward with a smile.

"I think perhaps it's time we went home, actually, Lu."

Lucy turned back to face her brother with a disappointed expression on her face.

"But I thought you loved it here."

"I do," Edmund insisted, "But I love home, and our family as well. They need us."

Lucy bowed her head, but then Reepicheep cleared his throat and moved forward. The others watched him with surprise.

"Your Eminence," he took off his feather and bowed deeply to Aslan, "Ever since I can remember, I have dreamt of seeing your country. I've had many great adventures in this world, but nothing has dampened that yearning. I know I am hardly worthy, but with your permission, I would lay down my sword for the joy of seeing your country with my own eyes."

Aslan looked down upon Reepicheep with something like tenderness in his golden eyes.

"My country was made for noble hearts such as yours, no matter how small their bearers be."

There was a fond farewell from the Pevensies, Eustace, Caspian and Rose. She smiled down at him as he bowed to her.

"Your Highness."

"Oh, Reep," she sighed heavily, "You deserve this. I'm going to miss you a lot. You've been a great friend."

Then he was gone, paddling over the curling wave and disappearing into Aslan's country. They watched him with serious expressions on their faces and somehow Rose felt that things were only going to get sadder when it came to parting ways.

Lucy sounded devastated when she turned back to Aslan. "This is our last time here, isn't it?"

"Yes," Aslan replied, "You have grown up, my dear one. Just like Peter and Susan."

"Will you visit us in our world?" Lucy asked, stepping forward with Rose and Edmund standing behind her.

"I shall be watching you always," Aslan assured her as she reached out to stroke his mane, "In your world, I have another name. You must learn to know me by it. That was the very reason you were brought to Narnia – that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there."

Lucy was nearly sobbing. "Will we meet again?"

Aslan growled softly. "Yes, dear one. One day."

Then he roared and the waves parted, and Rose could have cried as she realized that this was the end of Narnia for them. Lucy was already sobbing quietly and Edmund looked deeply saddened himself. Rose would miss this place. So many things, both good and bad, had occurred here. She wasn't sure she wanted to let that go – yet she knew that the memories of Narnia would live on, inside her.

"You're the closest thing I have to family," Caspian told them all as they gathered around him. He turned to grin at Eustace. "And that includes you, Eustace."

Lucy and Edmund moved forward to embrace Caspian in turn, and then Rose couldn't contain her tears as she threw herself into his arms and burst out crying. She gripped her by the shoulders and smiled at her.

Then she forced herself to turn away – from Caspian, from Narnia, from all the wonder she'd ever known...and follow Edmund, Eustace and Lucy back into her own world. All four of them turned to glance behind them as the waves closed over Narnia, barring them from that world for the last time.

**PARAGRAPH**

"Have you heard the news?" Lucy asked Rose, taking the older girl's coat as she entered the Pevensies' house. It had been three months since their return from Narnia, and the war had ended – meaning they had all gone to living the way they had at first. It was good living just across the road from the Pevensies. Rose had missed not being able to see them whenever she wanted.

"What news?" Rose asked as she linked her arm through Lucy's and they headed into the kitchen. Mrs Pevensie and Susan were in there making dinner, and Rose smiled as she moved to embrace the older girl.

"Hello, Su."

"It's good to have you over, Rose," the older girl smiled, tucking a curl behind her ear, "I missed seeing you when we were in America. It's good to be back."

Lucy tugged insistently on Rose's arm and led her upstairs to the room she still shared with Susan. Rose was waiting impatiently for this news of Lucy, which she announced with a huge grin after she closed the door.

"Peter proposed to Alyssa!"

Rose gave a little cry of delight. She definitely hadn't seen that coming. Clearly, Peter had learned his lesson from Narnia as well. The door opened and a smirking Edmund stood in the doorway.

"Calm down," he chastised, moving over to embrace Rose, "I know you're excited to see me and all, but there's no need to be so loud."

He closed the door behind him and they all sat down on the beds. This was their custom: sitting down to discuss Narnia. It was one of the things they did frequently nowadays. Lucy's eyes filled with tears and she quickly wiped them away.

"I miss Narnia," she whispered, "I miss it so much. It's breaking my heart that we can't go back."

Rose moved over to comfort her, putting her arms around the younger girl and holding her tight. She knew how Lucy felt, because she felt exactly the same way herself. Edmund sat across from them, his dark eyes filled with melancholy as he watched his younger sister crying in Rose's arms.

"I'm sorry," sniffed Lucy, wiping at her arms and standing up, "I shouldn't have brought it up. I know you two must miss it just as much. Please excuse me. I think I'd better go and clean up before dinner."

She moved out to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Edmund crossed the room and sat down beside Rose, looking at her with concern.

"So are you alright?"

Rose nodded. "I'm fine. We need to learn to live in the real world anyway." She changed the subject. "So, what do you think about Peter and Alyssa?"

Edmund grinned. "I hope the idiot knows what he's getting himself into."

Rose was fully aware that her smile was somewhat flirtatious as she turned to glance at Edmund, watching for his reaction.

"Do you think you'll ever get married?"

Edmund just shrugged, but his dark eyes sparkled.

"I guess I'll just have to wait and see."

There was a knock on the door and Susan opened it to glance almost suspiciously at the pair of them.

"Dinner's ready. Come on, Peter's going to be home soon."

She turned and headed back downstairs and Edmund gripped Rose's hands in his own, hoisting her to her feet and kissing her on the lips. Before things could get too carried away, Rose pulled away.

"We'd better get downstairs. I want to tease Peter relentlessly."

She took Edmund by the hand and led him downstairs. They might be back in England now, they might never return to Narnia...but that didn't matter, because they had each other. They didn't need Narnia to make their relationship magical. Rose could only hope that they would last forever.


End file.
